BOSE II: Corruption's Curse
by Thunderblade
Summary: An old legend arises incomplete. Heroes that once were are lost in a dark new threat that could consume everything. Can the heroes of old defeat their enemies and fulfil the prophecy? Or will their existence be forced to fade out forever. Chp 37! Zeiger's appearance at the Keltech base has caused a stir. Kairyn stumbled upon some strange findings within their new business deals.
1. Prologue: A Stranger's Message

To the readers,

I want to take this opportunity to once again thank you for choosing to read my story. With the response gained from Battle of the Sacred Essences when it started back in November of 2003, I have been "_persuaded_" by many to continue the story. Giving into the mass of emails and PMs I've received since then the first BOSE concluded, at long last I can give you its sequel. Again, hints of other movies, games etc may be cross-referenced as in BOSE (just to keep fans on their toes) but I'm trying to keep it as original as possible. For the first few chapters, there may not seem to be an awful lot of LBT related action but don't worry, it will have a much greater part later in the story. Promise! Anyway, enough talk. Here, for you, is the sequel to the story that all you readers made a success. Again, thank you for your contributions!

Enjoy!

Thunderblade

Prologue: A Stranger's Message

"Hey…you…! You there! You've heard of it haven't you? You've heard of the story? The tale foretelling the legend of the sacred lights. The destined battle where the sacred ones, selected by fate, fought against the deadliest of enemies to re-establish the world's natural balance. The perfection of yin and yang that allows our world to function and maintains our lives as we blindly carry out our existence from one day to the next. The stuff of honourable legend, almost fairy tale. Did you believe it? I didn't believe it. I didn't want t believe it. I thought of it as mere fantasy myself…that was, however, until I was involved. I was locked in a duel to preserve not only the very things I cared for…but for the well-being of every single living creature that stood on the Earth. I was a guardian responsible for ensuring that that delicate balance did not collapse. I never asked for it. I didn't want the responsibility of it all once I found out but more importantly…I didn't want the shame of knowing that if I failed…life's burning flame would be extinguished indefinitely. I just wanted to live my own life as I pleased. Not to be part of some crappy script the mystics had written for me. I don't buy into crap like that. But I quickly discovered that once I knew about it…I had no choice. I had to fight…and I fought. If I didn't…I'd have been killed and those alongside me. Me, my friends, and everyone I cared about and even more besides. An inescapable fate. But given the weird and wonderful friends I've met along the way, there was no way I was going to let that happen…not if I knew I could do something about it.

Still, you know of the legend right? The three sacred lights? The lights that represented an essence essential to life. Lights that harnessed the potential to construct the greatest power in the known universe according to some random research carried out by humans. The golden pyramid of purified energy born from the merging of the three sacred lights. A limitless power source to accomplish any task a mind sees fit whether that mind was aided by a pure heart or clouded by a twisted nature. Those three souls fought valiantly over many terrains, through the natural passage of time's flow and even in death to protect us all. A battle of the prehistoric past that spanned two realms; its events chronicled but believed by no one. But thinking about it…is that such an ignorant view though? A destined struggle of power that took place over sixty-five million years ago could forge and protect the very world that we live in to this very day? What sane person could ever believe such a thing?! Like I said…I didn't. That was until I was thrown in the deep end. Forced to defend a prophecy I didn't want to accept in the first place. But…it changed me. I discovered so much about the legend. Maybe a little too much for my own good. I found out that not only was the legend of the Battle of the Sacred Essences true, but there was a lot more to it than what was initially spoken of. A hell of a lot more.

Something was missing. A piece of the story that was not told; left out. On purpose? I don't know. I doubt anyone does. But all I do know is…the legend was a message. When a person stands before the light of personal desire, they cast a shadow that grows behind them as they edge closer to it. Darkness born from the ones blinded by the light they seek. A demon buried deep within every one of us that, at any moment, could pounce and overcome what we portray as our nature to those we know. The legend's fateful cry…its message. A warning…something dark; something evil was coming. Something spawned from the unfinished tale. The Battle of the Sacred Essences was not over. The prophecy was incomplete as was the balance's restoration. Man's greed was to bring forth a terrible omen that sought to wipe us out indefinitely…or entomb us all into an eternity of slavery. The ultimate price to pay. Whether you believe in the legend or not, you can be sure…your existence was on the line. They fought to protect the balance unknowingly to the eyes of non-believers. I can safely say that I'm grateful. Grateful I could do my part in contributing to the legend as well as doing it in honour of trusting its ancient words. I believe now with every fibre of my being.

What's that? How do I know all this? I happen to be one of those lights foretold in the prophecy…

Who am I you ask?...

Would you believe me if I told you?..."


	2. Just a Day

Chapter 1: Just a Day

This is what it had led to. After all the battles, slaying countless enemies, the trail led back to the very place it had begun. It was true. Every clue, every shred of evidence collected along the way had led back to its source. It was so cliché but it always seemed to work out that way; like a bad Hollywood movie. Tracing the footprints back to where they had started. The city. He'd been double-crossed. Played for a fool as he mindlessly advanced from one location to the next, searching for the one thing he cared about more than anything else in the world. The sacred pieces that would reunite him with his lost ones. It all led back to this place.

The city streets were deserted. Vehicles lay buckled and destroyed, scattered all over the place. The tall buildings, cracked and damaged, loomed over the ground like sinister giants in the dark night as the rain poured mercilessly from the heavens. There, in the darkness of this forsaken scene was a figure draped in a black hooded cloak, his face swallowed by the hood's depth and the poor light. His entire body was masked by the flowing cloak as he walked silently through the storm…alone. Suddenly, the figure stopped. Something was wrong; he could sense it. A blinding flash of lightning tore from the blackened sky and struck the ground before him. Unphased, the figure watched as the ground rippled with a dark mist. Then, without warning, ghostly creatures began rising up out if the mist. Human in form but with glowing yellow eyes and wrapped in a swampy black fog. More and more of these bizarre creatures rose from the murky fog, surrounding the cloaked figure who remained calmly stood in the centre of the chaos emerging around him. He didn't seem to care as the creatures multiplied exponentially from the mist.

Within seconds, hundreds of these evil beings stood, encasing the figure in a tight ring. Escape was impossible. As the creatures eyes their target menacingly, wavering around unsteadily yet determined to seize their captive. The figure still stood unmoving although it was clear from the stance that fear was not the emotion on show. The first row of creatures hissed and threw themselves directly at him, launching their attack. With that, the figure finally responded. With a quick spin, he reached inside his cloak and drew his swords. The creatures began to fall from above him. With a powerful slash, the figure's sword tore straight through all of them. The critical damage forced the black, foggy creatures to shatter and disappear like wisps of polluted air. Without rest, the second wave of creatures attacked as soon as the first had evaporated into nothingness. Hopping backwards, the figure swung his blades down vertically, one following the other, slicing through the advancing creatures who rippled with the blow and disintegrated. Dispatching another five attacking from the front, the figure arched over backwards, swinging his swords out as far as he could reach, cutting the onslaught attempting a back attack with a looping swing. Suddenly, as the figure rolled his torso up to standing again, one creature took a leaping slash at him. The figure ducked, just in time for the attack to glide harmlessly over his head. Gripping his right-hand sword tighter, the figure thrust the weapon up and through the creature's abdomen. In the same swift movement, the figure skilfully swung his left sword behind him blindly, catching three more in its deadly path. As those injured creatures disappeared into thin air, the figure readied himself again for the next wave that relentlessly poured in from all sides.

Seven creatures leapt up high, trying to pounce on the figure from above as he remained occupied with the ones that followed up the airborne assault. Winding up his right arm, having defeated the follow up, he threw his weapon up into the descending crowd overhead. The spinning blade ripped through the shadowy beings and up higher into the stormy atmosphere. Now armed with only one sword, the figure spun at top speed to dispatch more evil creatures approaching again from behind. He was getting careless. He wasn't watching his back; a foolish error. One creature got close enough to take a slash at him with its shadowy, misty claws. It connected. The figure staggered sideways with the blow. Without a second to recover, the figure thrust his remaining sword through and under his armpit. The blade plunged into the monster's chest, defeating it as it evaporated just like the rest of the fallen.

Unguarded from the front, more attacked. The figure seemed not to notice this move as they came within striking distance. As they raised their black claws to administer a killing blow, a glint shimmered from above them, diving in on them at a phenomenal speed. The entire wave disintegrated suddenly as the figure's second sword plunged through them from overhead. The figure snatched at his weapon, ripping it from the cracked, rain drenched, concrete road. He looked up at the onslaught that seemed to have paused for a brief second. The street was a sea of bouncing black heads and evil yellow eyes with wispy claws, threatening to deal death in a blink of an eye. There were too many of them. Too many to fight yet escape seemed impossible. What could he do? Still, he had no intention of admitting defeat. He had to continue his quest. He was so close…he couldn't be finished off now. He HAD to fight. Failure was out of the question.

A hot flush of determination shot through his body as the figure slapped his swords together, criss-crossing them over his hidden face. Sparks shredded off the blades as he ripped them apart and down to his sides. Without a sound, he kicked off the ground and sprinted into the crowd of shadowy monsters. He was going to cut through the dense ring and out into the street. The creatures responded in kind and charged at the lone fighter as he silently advanced. The black wave of monsters leapt at the figure as he ran directly at them. Thunder boomed overhead having been preceded by a blinding flash of forked lightning that snaked across the blackened clouds as the savaging rain continued to tumble from the dark sky. The two opposing sides hit head on as the figure plunged into the army of creatures. With crossing swings, the figure carved his way through blindly. Anything foolish enough to be standing before him quickly faded into black dust as he continued his mad dash. Suddenly, creatures began merging in from the sides, closing the figure in. He flinched as he sustained damaging blows from the flanking creatures. Although not muttering a sound, the pain was accumulating. He could feel his life force depleting with every landing strike.

The figure slowed to a halt. Swords held out to his sides, the figure spun madly like a horizontal propeller blade. The manoeuvre cleared all surrounding enemies but hundreds more still stood before him. Regaining his balance, the figure snapped his head up to the sky to see a new wave of airborne creatures launching a diving aerial attack. Too late and too many to counter, the figure leapt backwards, high into the sky to evade the pounce. Barely escaping, the figure somersaulted in the air to land a fair distance away from the onslaught. He was critically injured. Another swipe from any one of the enemy would finish him. Still, he had to press on. His quest was nearly complete; he couldn't fail now. Not so close to the end.

The figure looked up to see the huge army shadowy creatures charging in again for the kill. The figure readied himself as the advance approached striking distance. He swung his dual blades, dispatching the front of the assault but the second wave was closing in faster than he anticipated. Narrowly dodging a claw swipe at his head, the figure rolled to one side but before he could right himself again, a lone shadow monster pounced from behind. With a flash of its blackened, foggy talons…it was all over. The hooded figure's body stood rigid. His grip loosened on his weapons and they tumbled to the cracked concrete, clattering noisily. His sense faded away as he dropped to his knees and then fell flat, unmoving. He had failed his task despite his fiery determination. The scenery faded to black leaving the defeated figure in a single white spotlight as the words "MISSION FAILED" bubbled up over the figure's fallen position.

"NO WAAYY! Aww man! I can't believe that happened! I was so close! How could I have lost so close to the end?! And on my final credit of all times?!" he shouted as the words "GAME OVER" flashed on the screen in front of him in giant, mocking, glowing, red letters, "Dammit! I can't believe that happened! Stupid piece of…"

"Kairyn!" a voice then bellowed from outside the room, "Kairyn Taylor! You better not be on that damn computer again!"

"No Mum!" he yelled back through the gap in the doorway, the door ajar. He quickly hit the power button on the front of the game console and stashed the controller haphazardly on top of it in a panic. The door swung open just as he slapped the monitor off.

"I thought I told you no video games before school! You're going to be late again!" Kairyn's mother scowled peeking around the door.

"I wasn't! I was just erm…" Kairyn babbled whirling around to face her.

"You BETTER NOT have been. I swear, ever since your father let you buy that stupid machine, you spend every spare minute of the day on it. No wonder your school grades are slipping."

"Mum…" he whined, "do you have to go over this again?"

"We'll go over it a THOUSAND times more until you get your appalling grades up! Your last report was atrocious! If you're next one is anywhere as bad as that one, that thing will be out with the rubbish!"

"It was just a couple of bad tests Mum. I told you, I hate exams and we've just had so many of them in the run up to the end of the year. Not to mention the fact that I can't stand maths! I'm terrible at it and I think the teacher want to murder me or something," Kairyn protested.

"Oh don't talk such nonsense Kairyn! That's no excuse anyway for the length of time you've been spending on that bloody machine instead of revising for your end of year exams! If you're so bad at maths, then you should be going over your topics and asking you teacher for help. That's what he's there for."

"But Mum…"

"KAIRYN! Not another word! Now, hurry up and get ready. Your breakfast is probably cold by now." With that, she disappeared behind the closing door as it clicked shut.

Kairyn sighed as he ran his fingers through his short wavy, brown hair. Kicking the loose clothes that lay strewn about the floor of his bedroom, he wandered over to the mirror that hung on the wall in between two super-sized posters of his favourite rock band. He looked into the mirror and saw his own brown eyes staring back at him. Perhaps staying up all hours of the night playing video games was not the smartest idea on a school night; especially with end of year examinations coming up, as his mother had drilled into him yet again. The conversations, that seemed more like dictations, had come so frequently, Kairyn could pretty much timetable when the next one was due to come. His face, although having a nicely tanned complexion, slender nose and slim jaw line, showed all the tell-tale signs of lack of sleep. Kairyn rubbed his face with his hands vigorously to try and brighten himself up but he knew there was no hiding it from his mother. Mothers always knew everything. Unable to stare down his reflection anymore, Kairyn turned to the far wall to look at the calendar that glowed on the painted surface like a shimmering glyph. The date read the 19th of April 327 N.E glowing in an electric green box. Kairyn walked over to it and raised a finger to the neon, orange holographic display. Tapping the next arrow, the display flickered to the next month where one of the orange date boxes was pulsing a warning red.

"I can't believe our exams are in less than a month away and the examiners haven't given us our timetables yet," Kairyn whined as he pressed the previous holographic key and the neon screen flashed back to the correct month.

"Kairyn! Get down here NOW! The shuttle bus is going to arrive at the stop before you get there!" his mother bellowed from somewhere in the house.

"OKAY MUM! I'M COMING!" Kairyn yelled back through the closed door, "Sheesh Mum! Always having a go at me. I'm sixteen years old for God's sake; not five!" Grumbling, Kairyn grabbed his watch, backpack and wallet and charged out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Leaping down the stairs, Kairyn swung around the corner and shot into the kitchen. As he passed through the doorway once the automatic doors had opened, he was suddenly seized by the neck and yanked to the side.

"What's the matter? Mummy have to wake up the baby again coz he's too lazy to get up himself?"

"Get…off me Tyronne!" Kairyn snapped irritably as his older brother clamped him in a tight headlock and began ruffling his hair gruffly, "Ow! Tyronne! Stop that! That hurts!"

"Cry for Mummy then I'll let you go," Tyronne said scratching his thick knuckles back and forth along Kairyn's scalp rapidly.

"Urgh…Get…get off you…thick-headed twat! I'm…late enough as it…OW! As it is…" Kairyn shouted as he struggled with his captor. He was now trying to elbow him in the ribs but it was having little effect.

"Come on…say it…Just say it and I'll let you go…" Tyronne edged.

"Never!" Kairyn spat defiantly.

"Go on…I know you can't last for ever…" his continued to tease. Kairyn, not wanted to give in, suddenly just had to submit to the torture.

"MUUUUMM! Tell Tyronne to stop!" he finally yelled unable to withstand the burning of his scalp anymore.

"Kairyn! Stop messing about! And Tyronne, leave your brother alone…you've got your new job to get to. You don't want to be late," their mother said turning from the kitchen sink to face them.

"Yeah, well. At least one of us will be on time," Tyronne said as he released Kairyn from his chokehold. Kairyn glared at his brother with disgust as he massaged his sore head. He sat smugly in his chair which was tipped and leaning up against the wall beside the door. He was well-built, at least six foot three with a head of trimmed wavy brown locks and tan complexion that could have rivalled any pretty boy prom king. All enhanced by the popularity index of many friends and adored by the girls from previous educational institutes he had attended over the years. The trait that Kairyn seemed to be the mirror image of as well as being four years his brother's junior. Dressed in a black uniform trimmed with green lining, he looked dashing yet remained ignorantly pig-headed with that self-righteous grin he had on his face.

"It's so good you finally passed your training course for that military academy," their mother beamed pouring Tyronne a full mug of coffee, "where is it you've been placed again?"

"In a small squadron that's on standby for Keltech Labs," Tyronne said taking a swig from his mug, "we're on duty guarding the facilities."

"Oh that's wonderful. Maybe you might get a chance to see your father in the laboratories whilst you're on patrol," their mother hummed happily as she sat at the table opposite Tyronne, with a cup of coffee of her own.

"Yeah maybe. But technically, I'm not really supposed to talk to the scientists. Distractions from duties."

"Maybe you could get one of them to examine your head while you're there. See if they can find anything in there," Kairyn taunted. He flinched when Tyronne raised a fist up, threatening to punch him.

"Kairyn!" his mother snapped eyeing him forewarningly. Kairyn grumbled under his breath as he sat down in between his mother and brother. He noticed that Tyronne had a dirty plate in front of him where he had evidently eaten already but nothing was awaiting him.

"Hey! Where's my breakfast?" Kairyn complained.

"Tyronne had it. It was going cold so he took it. I told you half an hour ago it was sitting there waiting for you but you were up in your room doing who-knows-what."

"I told you letting him have that computer up there was a bad idea," Tyronne said smugly.

"You play it as well," Kairyn scowled in protest.

"Yeah, but at least I don't let it distract me from what I have to do. I know my priorities whereas you don't."

Kairyn felt his anger building as he clenched his fist under the table and squeezed it tight.

"Don't you two start again," their mother chimed in sounding exhausted, "anyway Kairyn, you need to go and get the shuttle bus so you better be off."

"Can't you drive me in?" Kairyn whined.

"Nope. Your brother's taking the car today. You can get a ride with him if you want. The school's on the way," his mother suggested. Kairyn turned to look at Tyronne who was wiggling the thin, black keycard for the hovercar in his face wearing a devilish smile.

"Ride with him?! I'd never make it! I'd be on the lunchtime news as part of Second London's worst ever multi-hovercar mass pile-up!" Kairyn exclaimed.

"Oh don't be ridiculous. Tyronne is a fabulous driver. I've ridden with him plenty of times and he's very cautious of those other lunatics on the roads."

"You've never ridden with him alone and happen to be a younger sibling," he muttered watching Tyronne still waving the ignition keycard back and forth like a metronome.

"Last chance…" Tyronne offered sounding sinister as if Kairyn would be signing his soul to the devil.

"Pass…at least I know the shuttle bus driver won't want to see me as road kill," Kairyn said flatly.

"Fine…your loss," Tyronne shrugged flicking the card up and catching it again.

Suddenly, there was a bang on the front door followed by a distinct number of doorbell rings.

"That'll be Christopher Kairyn, you better get going. You don't want to make him late as well," Kairyn's mother said signalling towards the metallic front door. Kairyn picked himself up out of his chair, snatched his backpack up from the ground and began heading for the door.

"Have a good day sweetheart," his mother called to him.

"Yeah. Have a nice time at play school. Bring us all back a pretty painting won't ya?" Tyronne taunted punching Kairyn in the arm as he walked passed. Kairyn turned to him looking irritated.

"How about THIS one. You can show it to your new boss at work," he snapped kicking the two balancing legs of the chair out from under Tyronne. As the chair slipped, he felt to the ground and, with his mug of coffee in hand, spilled the contents of the mug all down the front of his new uniform.

"You little git! COM'MERE!" Tyronne shouted enraged as he scrambled to his feet. Kairyn, laughing aloud, sprinted for the front door where he slapped the control panel to the right of the automatic door. The door slid open to reveal a short, stocky, 15-year old boy with mousey black hair and thin-rimmed black glasses in the way.

"Run for it Chris!" Kairyn yelled as he zipped passed him still laughing. Having nearly been knocked over, Chris readjusted his glasses and saw Kairyn's furious looking older brother charging for the open door like an enraged bull chasing a matador's red flag.

"I'm gonna kill ya you little runt!" he bellowed at the open door.

"OH CRAP!" he piped in a squeaky voice as he turned tail and fled down the driveway and out to join Kairyn on the street.

"Hey Chris," Kairyn panted leaning up against a lamppost.

"Yo Kai," he returned breathlessly, "what'd you do to Tyronne this time?"

"Just helped him along with his coffee. Come on, we'd better get going. Shuttle's gonna beat us to the stop otherwise."

With that, Kairyn and Chris both quickly disappeared from sight just a Tyronne reached the street searching for the pair of them.

"That little punk!" he seethed through clenched teeth as he looked at the steaming coffee stain on his front, "I'll get him later…"

Meanwhile, already several blocks away, Kairyn and his friend Chris were pacing down the street half trying to reach the shuttle bus stop in time and half trying to increase the distance between them and Tyronne just in case he had decided to give chase. From the quiet suburbs, Kairyn and Chris made their way to the main road of Forest Heights; a small town in the southern quadrant of the city of Second London, and what a city it was. The outskirts of the city were nicely designed but they were overshadowed by the constructions of Central Second London. It was the visionary's picture of a technologically advanced human establishment. The city centre housed towering skyscrapers all modelling intricate designs of architecture that pierced the heavens, vehicles that utilised the wonder of hovering physics proven to be a hundred times more efficient and safer than the previous cars that ran on wheels and fossil fuels. The energy cell technology had finally been developed as a universal power supply used in just about everything from hovercars to batteries for animatronic pets (for those household owners who wished for the blessings of a pet, without the mess and allergies). The futuristic vision of the country's capital built up from the rubble of:

"The Super Plague…any of this ringing a bell?" Chris said to Kairyn who was desperately trying to rack his brain for answers.

"Yeah I know. The… erm…the virus outbreak that hit Old London years ago."

"What year?" Chris quizzed but Kairyn looked at him exasperated.

"Jeez Chris, I don't know! 1 N.E?"

"2103 A.D Kai. That's when the virus was documented to have broken out. You have to use A.D not the 'New Era' suffix. The plague that devastated pretty much the whole world but it started in Old London. The supervirus that resorted in the complete obliteration of Old London by the World Order Committee declaration along with the majority of the other major cities of the world. The 'cleansing with fire' plan?"

"Gimme a break Chris! You know I'm no good at history," Kairyn protested in defeat.

"It's the most important era in all human history! The date humanity was nearly wiped off the face of the Earth? I think that's a pretty big deal Kai."

"It's in the past Chris. Everything's fine now. What are a couple of years of history?"

"It was over three hundred years ago Kai. Did you not revise for this test today?"

Kairyn snapped his head to face Chris looking horrified.

"Test?! What test?! When was there gonna be a test on this?" he blurted looking panicked.

"Mr Dickenson's history test, first period this morning? I told you over live linkup last night."

"We were gaming then. You know I say anything without thinking when I'm zoned out on games."

"Well, let's hope Mr Dickenson forgets or the school's blown up or something miraculous," Chris said sarcastically but with a smile.

"I can't see either of those things happening somehow," Kairyn grinned before sighing deeply, "how can this day possibly get any worse?"

"I think I can think of a way," Chris said blandly as they turned the last corner before the shuttle bus stop. Kairyn looked from Chris up to the road ahead just in time to see a large silvery hoverbus pull away from the stop, leaving a rippling trail of energy exhaust that distorted the scenery as if Kairyn were standing in a puddle and someone had dropped a stone in it.

"Aww man…just my luck," he sighed, flopping his heavy shoulders down.

"I think today's going to be one of those days Kai," Chris said matter-of-factly placing a sympathetic hand on his fallen shoulder as they watched the shuttle bus turn the corner and out of sight.


	3. Reunion with Past Memories

Chapter 2: A Reunion with Past Memories

It seemed very strange that something like this would decide to happen now. In fact, he wasn't sure if it had actually happened at all. There was no real revealing evidence that it had been reactivated after such a long time but Littlefoot chose to examine the area all the same. He could have sworn he'd heard something coming from around about the Chronos Doorway's vicinity as he hunted high and low for something to unveil itself. Littlefoot had been cleaning the memorial of him and his friends; a carving etched into a stone's surface of him, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Ali and his human friend Jason who shared the destiny of the legend of the sacred Stones of Essence. Jason had returned to the human realm through the Chronos Doorway but not before he announced the memorial of their adventure which lay in the adequately named "Friendship's Circle" deep in the dense forests of the Great Valley. As well as that, on his departure, Jason had given Littlefoot a gold pendent with a triangular, equilaterally cut, blood-red stone encased in a gold wire frame which, in turn, was attached to a long gold chain. One of the three sacred stones known only as the "Warrior's Heart Ruby". A personal memento that Littlefoot, since that sad day of Jason's departure, wore around his neck and has yet to remove it. In return, Littlefoot entrusted Jason with the stone in his possession. Identical in size and shape to the Warrior Heart Ruby except it shimmered a tranquil brilliance of deep blue. The "Guardian's Tear Sapphire".

The third Stone of Essence was held by Lieutenant Jill Fielding. A high-classed, well-trained militant of a security force for the human corporate enterprise "Red Phoenix Laboratories". Specialists in the field of pharmaceuticals and leading researchers in the field of energetics and energy manipulation. That was before they came to the Great Valley in search of the stones. The only remaining director, Dominic Westwood, led a fiendish project where by he created an army of resurrected creatures killed by a supervirus his research team developed secretively with the corporation. With it, he unleashed "Project Red Phoenix", a resurrected human woman who could utilise the incredible power of the Stones of Essence and effectively manipulate the energy flow of the stones' ultimate form. "Heaven's Eternity Crystal". The unison of all three stones, along with the essence of each of the stone bearers' individual dominant trait, came together to create a power unknown of which mankind or any civilisation through the history of time had ever witnessed. The greatest power in the known universe. Littlefoot, Jason and their friends battled valiantly against the Red Phoenix whose sole purpose, having betrayed Westwood and ended his life in the process, was to destroy the entire human race for their crimes and treacheries against the planet's natural order

Having succeeded in their quest and defeating the Red Phoenix, Jason regretfully returned to his realm through the Chronos Doorway's time portal and thus restoring the rightful balance between their two worlds. That seemed like such a long time ago now and a certain length of time had passed since then yet here Littlefoot was, scanning the area for anything that proved that once again, the Chronos Doorway had been reactivated. Perhaps, he had come back after all this time. Flashbacks of what seemed like distant memories shot passed Littlefoot's mind eye in a frenzied flurry of colours and sounds as he continued his search.

"H-hello?" he called, finally finding his voice which was shaky with anticipation, "h-hello? Anyone there?" The dusty air was the sole reply which failed to utter a murmur. Littlefoot began to feel the excited energy buzzing inside him start to fizzle out as the realisation settled in its place. There was nothing here.

"Must have been my imagination," he told himself half wishing he hadn't overexcited himself so much because now, he was left with replays of his fond memories which had long since past. Still, with a lingering sense of determination, Littlefoot looked up at the Chronos Doorway once more admiring its ominous hulk.

"But I could have sworn I saw something…"

Suddenly, a sound emanated from behind. Littlefoot whirled around to the source of the noise. His senses burned lividly as he tried to identify what had disturbed the ghoulish silence. Despite the highly unlikely chance, Littlefoot called out to the noise.

"Jason?" he called almost whispering but there was no reply, "Jason? Is that you?" he called again faintly. He leaned in closer to a dense mass of bushes and trees just off to the right-hand side of the dusty path. As Littlefoot got close enough, he poked his head cautiously into the leafy hedge.

"Hello?" he asked the coarse, dry leaves but nothing was there. Then, a dull, repetitive thudding erupted from across the way. Littlefoot snatched his head out into the open again and scanned the landscape. Now he was sure there was something here. The thudding sounded like footsteps. A distinct pattern that, by their frequency, appeared to be hurried; running in fact. Littlefoot felt betrayed by his senses. He could hear footsteps but he could not see who was making them. He began to feel jittery and uncomfortable. The looming sensation of something watching him from an unknown location began to chill his flesh.

Then, Littlefoot realised that the rushing footsteps were quietening. He flicked his head down the dirty path and found the phantom's footfalls heading back down into the Great Valley. A bolt of excited energy surged through Littlefoot's body as he shot down after his invisible quarry. He was even more delighted to see another tell-tale sign. In the sandy pathway were a set of tracks but these were unlike any footprints that any of the Great Valley residents could produce. They weren't natural; they were patterned and left abnormal shapes in a rough crescent moon curve. Distinctively alien to this land. As Littlefoot followed them down and back into the Great Valley, he gasped when he realised that the number of sets of tracks had multiplied.

"_There are three lots of footprints now!_" Littlefoot said to himself excitedly, "_it must be them!_" It was far too much of an outstanding actuality to simply be coincidence. After all, they were the only three of their kind who knew about the Great Valley. The others were all dead; by one horrific method or another. But if that was truly the case, why would they be hiding from him? Still, Littlefoot continued the chase as the sandy pathway gave way to the welcoming, luscious plains that were the Great Valley fields.

Littlefoot stopped at the end of the path as his feet stepped into the cool, soft grass. The sandy tracks had dissipated in the long blades and he'd lost their trail.

"Nyhhh…lost 'em!" Littlefoot huffed in annoyance, "where'd they go?" He glanced left and right in the hope of seeing something out of the ordinary. A figure running across the field maybe but nothing of the sort was in view. All he could see were teams of various species of herbivorous dinosaurs wandering around either eating the surrounding foliage or settled down to rest. Littlefoot began to rack his brains for a possible direction they could have gone in when suddenly someone out in the field gave a yell of irritancy. Littlefoot hurried over to a disgruntled elderly ankylosaurus who appeared to be eyeing a bushy fern testily as if it had just caused him great offence.

"Morning Mr Clubtail," Littlefoot piped from the old dinosaur's left side.

"Oh, hello Littlefoot," the ankylosaurus replied quickly, slightly startled.

"Something wrong?" Littlefoot asked trying to read the expression on Mr Clubtail's face.

"Nah, I'm okay. But someone just rather rudely barged passed my face and hit me on the nose. All I was doing was eating here peacefully, mindin' my own business," Mr Clubtail puffed sounding hard-done-by. Littlefoot suddenly became excitable again on hearing this.

"Who? Did you see?"

"No I didn't. There were moving in the bushes and I had my nose buried in this one. I wasn't paying that much attention."

Littlefoot wasn't to be thrown off, "Did you see which way they went?"

"Sure did. They were heading that way, over towards the falls."

"_The Thundering Falls…my nest isn't too far from there!_" Littlefoot thought hurryingly, "_they must be heading to my home! They must be going to find me!_" His thoughts filled him with an overwhelming sense of joy. They HAD come back! They were probably searching for him! Littlefoot thanked the old ankylosaurus and made a mad dash for his home ground hoping to beat his invisible targets, of whom he was now certain he had figured out who they were, to their destination. Taking a shortcut through a small sheltered copse, Littlefoot charged, at full bounding strides, for home. He couldn't wait to see them again and catch up on old times.

"_They must have so much to talk about since they returned to their own time,_" Littlefoot told himself happily, "_it seems like so long since they were last here._" The thought of a long awaited reunion with his old friends gave Littlefoot that extra burst of speed as he kicked of harder to get home as fast as he could.

Hurdling the final bordering hedge, Littlefoot came to a stop in a small clearing, half-sheltered by a semi-circle of large trees with wide, thick canopies. Littlefoot breathed hard as he stood in the half exposed, half shadowed enclosure waiting for something to reveal itself. As his breathing slowed, his heart was still beating furiously inside him with anticipation. He'd never felt so restless. His mind buzzed with wave after wave of thoughts of what to say, memories of their past meeting and feelings of how he'd react once he finally got to see them. Then, Littlefoot saw a memorable landmark. Standing next to his sleeping place, overlooking him as he slept every night was a stumpy little tree that didn't bare even a single leaf. It paled in comparison to all the other bordering trees around it but this tree, with its open, Y-shaped top had a much bigger role than any of the other towering giants. It was Jason's bed for when he came home with Littlefoot after the long days. Although, since Jason's departure, this lonesome, petrified little tree had been empty every night and he's not thought much of it. Now, Littlefoot suddenly felt a great sense of importance within it. It would soon have someone in it again. It would not be lonely at night anymore…and neither would he.

Suddenly, a rustle in the bushes snapped Littlefoot out of his trance.

"_They're here!_" Littlefoot thought whirling around to the source of the noise. As he turned to face the hedges, the rustling immediately stopped. Littlefoot felt his stomach drop uncomfortably as he scanned the border of his home. He'd lost sight of them again. Slowly, he edged towards where he thought the rustling had emanated from. As he got closer, he began to hear voices. They were low but just barely audible.

"Think we finally shook it. Which way now?" one voice mumbled.

"Hang on a sec…we're definitely in the right area but the map's refreshing," a second voice answered.

"All this looks the same to me. Are you sure you're reading that thing right?" a third voice piped in.

"Yes, I'm sure. Ahh, here we go. Destination's here; point three kays further west of our current location," the second voice said.

"Right. Let's get going then and keep it low. We don't want anyone to know we're here," the first voice said lowly.

"Affirmative. Moving out," the third voice said gruffly. Littlefoot backed away from the bush.

"_That's weird…_" he thought to himself, "_Jason knows where I live but they don't seem to be staying here. I wonder where they're supposed to be heading._" Littlefoot stood on the spot a little confused. He pondered the idea of where they could be going.

"'_Point three kays'? I don't know what that means but I remember that word…'west'. Jason's used that word before…it's a direction…where…where the Bright Circle…sets? I think that's what he said. But…there's nothing over that way._" Littlefoot strained to think harder. Then, the bushes started to shake again and he saw three dark silhouettes charge into the dense undergrowth.

"But…there's nothing that way," he said aloud to himself, "…just the Green Hills and the…" Suddenly, he paused in mid-speech. The idea then dawned on him, "The Forest of Fear! Two Legs' Den!" With a quick kick, he shot off west towards his new destination.

It didn't take Littlefoot long to reach the exterior border of a dense clutter of trees with skinny trunks on the far west side of the Great Valley. They were packed in together so tightly it was impossible for a full grown dinosaur denizen to pass through. This place was known as the Forest of Fear as it was home to some of the lesser appreciated species of dinosaurs known collectively as "Eggstealers". Once considered dangerous, the Eggstealers have since fled from the forest hideout as another type of creature had rather abruptly taken their place a while ago. The humans that belonged to the Red Phoenix Laboratory Corporation had a small base that lay at the very heart of the woods. Scientists, business personnel and military ranks considered it their haven to both work and rest. With the events of the encounter with the corporation's sickly, undead specimen and their top priority experiment, the Red Phoenix, the Forest of Fear had a reborn chilling myth about it. Apparently, the ghosts of the deceased workers and military figures haunted the dark passages that meandered their way through the thin trees. Littlefoot always said that the idea was silly and that it was only a tale the adults had made up to deter youngsters from wandering in. Still, that didn't prevent him from feeling slightly nervous about stepping in himself.

C'mon…stop being such a baby. What are you afraid of?...You know it's not true…" he told himself scornfully, "they're heading for Two Legs' Den. Just step in and go after them…you'll be alright." With a deep breath, Littlefoot took a step forward and into the darkness of the tightly packed trees.

The tuneful hum of the Great Valley diagetics quickly gave way to eerie buzzes and creaks as Littlefoot progressed further into the dark forest. The pathways through the trees were narrow and confining but he pressed on; the skinny tree trunks rubbing their flaking bark against his skin making him itchy and uncomfortable. Time appeared to have frozen within the boundaries of this dense forest. Littlefoot began to see recognised ground in the dim light. A mass of fallen trees that had decayed over what must have been years now lay dotted around in random positions to Littlefoot's left and right, placing him on a makeshift path. It was evident that, from their flat bases, they had been cut from their roots which remain embedded in the earth as stumps.

"_This is the way,_" Littlefoot thought eyeing the suspiciously straight cuts on the rotting logs. He knew full well that beings other than dinosaurs had inflicted such an injury on the flora here that had adapted to life in the poorly lit conditions. He was getting closer. His destination wasn't too far ahead. Littlefoot trekked on. His nerves felt frayed as he continued through the blackness. His feet crunched on the dying leaf litter with every step which echoed creepily in the void. So far, there had been no sign of his mysterious entities but with the burning desire to confront them raging through his mind, it kept him focused on his goal. Suddenly, a rustling sound shot out from the trees. Littlefoot froze solid as he scanned the darkness. An unnerving sense of claustrophobia crept up on him like a ghost making him feel horribly edgy. The shuffling in the undergrowth continued as Littlefoot cautiously stepped forwards.

"_It came from over there,_" he told himself moving towards the noise.

Before long, Littlefoot discovered the area around him becoming progressively lighter. The sun's warm rays were piercing through the darkness from the outside illuminating the ground. With a clearer way ahead of him, Littlefoot soon reached his destination. Beyond a tight ring of compact hedges, in the centre of a large clearing was a single storey, concrete building surrounded by a diamond wire fence. Littlefoot remembered this place well. It was the Red Phoenix's base of operation hidden away in the veil of darkness offered generously by the Forest of Fear; away and out of sight of the residents of the Great Valley. It was here where all the madness if the Red Phoenix's sick and twisted experimentations exploded into the world like a foul mist. The place looked a shadow of its former self now. Sections of the building had caved in leaving most of the structure lying about the enclosure in crumbled ruin. The surrounding foliage had overgrown and reclaimed the space the complex had taken up. Wines of climbing plants had entangled themselves in the gaps in the wire fence and had pulled down on it so hard, the metal trellis had now bent and buckled, surrendering to nature's will. The whole area had been transformed. A strange fusion of the prehistoric past merged with views of the future.

As the flashbacks of his constant visits to this complex slowly faded from before his eyes, Littlefoot took a step forwards but quickly stopped dead in his tracks. He could hear voices. Darting behind the bordering ring of bushes, Littlefoot peeked over to secretly scan the clearing. Tracing the voices, he had at last found them.

"There they are!" he said to himself excitedly, "so this is where they were heading to. I wonder what they're…huh?" Littlefoot looked on at the three humans wandering carefully through the ruins of the Red Phoenix complex. However, something wasn't right. Littlefoot had finally caught a glimpse of the trio's faces but he didn't recognise any of them.

"Who are these humans?" Littlefoot asked himself in a hushed voice. From his hiding place, he could just about make them out. All three of them wore their special "second skin". Dressed all in black with strange objects strapped to their bodies. Equipment, weaponry and various other gadgets that looked alien to Littlefoot. He had seen a variety of human items including tasting their food as well as being subjected to some of their stranger traits and ways of living. The three humans Littlefoot had been hoping to have found were two males, one in his adolescent years and the other, a fully grown adult, and a female who was of similar age to the adult male. This trio however consisted of three men and none of them even vaguely resembled anyone he knew of the human race.

"I wonder who they are. They don't look like Jason, Jill or Stone…" Littlefoot pondered as he continued to watch them sneak around the area. They appeared to be searching for something. He crept up a little closer to them as one of them spoke.

"Is this the place?" the shortest one asked.

"It's marked on the virtual map. This must be it," a stocky man replied crouching next to some of the ruins, "I just need to verify the point and cross-reference the source we've been given."

"How long's that gonna take? The tallest human asked gruffly, "think I've had enough of this place already."

"Not long…just need to…" the second man started but he stopped, as if interrupted.

"What was that?" the third man barked flicking up a very chunky looking firearm. Littlefoot flinched awkwardly as he realised that the human's weapon was pointing directly at him. He knew, from previous encounters, what the strange black, shiny lump in the human's hands was capable of…namely killing things. He began to panic and fidgeted nervously. The man was slowly walking over to his hiding place. Littlefoot ducked low behind the bush as the man came uncomfortably close. He poked the muzzle of the rifle into the thick hedge. Littlefoot shrunk back and swallowed hard to suppress a scream from escaping his throat. He was staring directly down the dark barrel of the weapon as it floated just inches from the bridge of his nose. Littlefoot closed his eyes and held his breath as he feared everything would be over in a split second but he heard a different sound to that of a deafening gun shot.

"Hey Clifford! We've got it! The cross-reference was positive. The I.D came through, come look," the analyst called from the other end of the clearing. Littlefoot felt the pressure in his chest lax as he breathed a sigh of relief to see the human withdraw his weapon and wander back over to his associates.

"_That was too close…_" Littlefoot thought as he edged up to the hedge again.

"I.D's all good. This was the place it happened. All data streams have been recorded and logged," the analyst reported.

"Good, then let's move on to our next objective," the man known as Clifford said, "we have a target to capture and extricate back in the main area once we have verification of our next location. Move out men; and keep it quiet. We must remain unannounced to these…creatures…we don't want any unnecessary killings but force can be used if required."

"Sir!" the two accompanying men chanted. Littlefoot stood on the other side of the bordering hedge looking greatly perplexed.

"A target to capture?" he mumbled to himself, "are they planning to kidnap someone from the Great Valley? If so, who?" Littlefoot was beginning to think that this trio of humans was bad news. It was strange though. They seemed to be acting just like how Jill and Stone were when they were part of the Red Phoenix military group but the Red Phoenix Corporation had been disbanded once the final director of the company, Dominic Westwood, perished, as Jill pointed out before they departed. These men did not look the same as those dressed like members of the Red Phoenix squadron. Something underhanded was occurring and Littlefoot was the only one who knew that these humans were in the Great Valley. Suddenly, Littlefoot jumped as he heard the bushes rustling again. The three men had left the ruins and were heading back towards the Valley. With a speedy turn, Littlefoot took off in the hope that he would reach the exit of the forest first. He had to warn the Valley that humans had re-entered their home with malicious intentions in mind.


	4. A Silent Mission

Chapter 3: A Silent Mission

Dateline: 18th April 327 N.E – Current time 19:37

It was the hour of twilight. The sun's rays were slowly starting to fade from the warm skyline of hazy orange. Down in the centre of a rocky valley was a base consisting of a number of buildings tightly packed together like a concrete family housed inside a wire fence. High up on the cliff edge stood an enigmatic figure draped in a long black coat. His face was swallowed by a deep hood making his distinguishing features invisible. He stood silently on the cliff side gazing down into the canyon. The warm wind howled, whipping at his full-length coat that flapped in the breeze. Behind him, three uniformed man, dressed in desert camouflage to suit their surroundings, army or military personnel possibly, lay unconscious on the dusty ground. Their weapons lay strewn about just out of their reach. He had dispatched them with ease which probably reflected the true strength of the base's security. Still, he could no afford to be reckless. Finding the target was the easy part, the difficult stage was yet to come. He had to gain entry into the base, infiltrate the buildings and recover any information that would help him achieve his ultimate goal. That was his mission but he could not afford to be seen. He had to remain invisible. As much as the sentries he had incapacitated already had been easy enough, there was no way he'd be able to take on every single one of the base's defences. It was a very risky mission but it was a task he knew he had to accomplish if he truly wanted to achieve his goal and fulfil his desires. Desires of which his intent, be they good or evil, was a mystery to everyone besides himself.

The figure readied himself. He had completed similar stealth reconnaissance missions such as this before with other bases and complexes all over the country so he had an idea of what to expect. Still, he was confident in his own abilities. He was a skilful fighter and possessed great physical attributes that could vanquish any foe he faced. He was a force to be reckoned with; a lonesome battler whose skills and record for infiltration had earned him the urban title "The Black Ghost". An invisible spirit that could breach and enter any building and be out before the occupants has even realised what had hit them. The sun was now starting to descend behind the rocky cliff horizon and was slowly disappearing from sight. It was time. From his static position, the hooded figure took a run at the cliff edge and leapt down the rocky hill side.

Hopping form ledge to ledge in his descent, the Black Ghost, hastily scaled down the cliff face in the failing light. On approaching the bottom, with one final jump, he crouched low and skidded on the loose gravel to slide behind a large boulder that lay at the edge of the canyon floor. With his back pushed up against the rock, he peeked out to the right and scanned the fenced perimeter. Standard wire fencing with primitive razor-wire loops lacking the top that would easily slice apart anyone foolish enough to try and climb over it. The Black Ghost sniggered to himself. Given the low-budget perimeter security he began to wonder if the guards would actually be armed with anything besides toy guns. In his mind, a shoplifter could have broken into this place; hardly a worthy challenge for the likes of such a stealthy entity such as himself. The sun had now almost set completely, dipping the canyon in a curtain of gloomy darkness; the perfect conditions for an unnoticed entrance. The Black Ghost was about to make a move when a number of great white beams suddenly exploded over the complex bathing it in artificial light. The Black Ghost cursed silently as the giant spotlights began to circle the grounds destroying the shadowy corners and other potential hiding places.

Looking up from his perch, he could see two large watchtowers looming high over the complex each with a large barrel spilling light out down on the ground. Things were going to be a little more difficult now with the searchlights active. Still, unshaken by this development, the Black Ghost readied himself to make a move. The nearest searchlight swept away from his location leaving a shadowy spot just in front of the entrance. The Black Ghost was about to move when, all of a sudden, a voice boomed from behind.

"Hey you! Don't move a muscle!" The Black Ghost seemed relatively unphased by the man who stood behind him pointing his rifle dangerously between his shoulder blades. He remained in his crouched position as the guard tried to make out his strange captive.

"What the hell are you doing down here?" he snapped. The Black Ghost remained silent and still.

"This is a restricted area. Authorised personnel only. You are not supposed to be here!" Still, the Black Ghost failed to respond.

"Hey! Are you even listening? RE-STRICT-ED area…You have no business here."

"But that is where you are wrong…I have decided to make this base my business seeing as it may hold something of value to me," the hooded figure spoke finally. His tone was coarse and dry but his words were potent. The armed guard screwed his face up as he eyed the back of the man in the black coat.

"…The hell? What are you? Some sort of spy?" he mused lowering his gun slightly.

"That would be an understatement of my capabilities. Unless you haven't heard the rumours spreading around," the hooded figure said dangerously and slowly. The man snapped his rifle back up to his captive and began barking orders.

"Right! Enough of that crap! You're under arrest! Stand up slowly and keep your hands where I can see them. No heroics…got it?" The Black Ghost chuckled lightly but the guard did not find the situation at all humorous.

"UP!" the guard exploded gripping his firearm tighter, "Need I remind you that any suspicious persons can be terminated immediately if found to be a potential threat to the facility's security."

"Remind me? I don't recall you telling me in the first place…but I am aware of such protocols," the Black Ghost said coolly,

"Don't push it…" the guard warned, "now…up on your feet. Keep them hand high and in plain sight." Without saying another word, the Black Ghost stood up with his gloved hands raised parallel to his head. His back still towards the armed guard who was shaking slightly from his rising anger. Standing fully upright, the hooded figure was easily over six feet tall but that was his only distinguishable feature. Now with his detainee in a more assuring position, the guard took a step towards him.

"What's with THAT get up?" he ridiculed before bellowing, "Remove your hood! Show your face!" The man defiantly remained still.

"Take off your hood!" he barked a second time.

"I don't want to," the figure replied. Somehow, despite sounding childish, his tone was unjesting and almost threatening.

"Do it! Take off your hood NOW or I'll do it for you!"

"You wouldn't want to do that. You may not appreciate the response you will undoubtedly experience if you did."

"Oh for God's sake!" the guard snapped stepping closer to the man's back. Raising a hand to reach for his hood, the guard was alarmed to find the figure had turned around and grabbed his outstretched hand at the wrist.

"Wha? HEY!" the guard gawked but before he could say another word, the Black Ghost had instantly overpowered him. With a sharp pull, the Black Ghost yanked him forwards pulling him off balance. The guard stumbled forwards as the Black Ghost ducked low and slammed his shoulder hard into the pit of the guard's stomach. The guard crumpled inwards as the blow knocked the wind out of him. He doubled over in pain and gasping for breath as the Black Ghost vaulted up high, cartwheeling over the slouched guard. Completely disorientated, the guard was about to turn and raise his rifle but the hooded figure spun around and swung his foot out, kicking the gun out of his grasp. The weapon flew madly out of reach of the guard as the Black Ghost, in one fluid movement, placed his swinging foot on the ground and brought up his second to deliver a heavy roundhouse kick to the guard's chest launching him backwards. The guard flew back and turned to smash face first into the rock the Black Ghost had been hiding behind and flopped to the ground unconscious. The Black Ghost slapped the dust off his coat and readjusted his gaze to the compound before him. Fortunately, no one had been alerted by that minor setback but it had cost him some time. Without wasting another second, the Black Ghost made his way over to the complex entrance.

The entrance into the grounds was a small security shack accompanied by a large wire-meshed surrounding fence; the top was laced with more great loops of razor wire. Standing either side of the security shack were two of the four spotlight towers. To further complicate matters, two armed sentries were positioned just beyond the gate and another was sitting in the security hut. It would be impossible to take out either set of guards without raising the alarm and there was no place to hide between the gate and the first building which was a good 400-yards beyond the entrance checkpoint. Not to mention the radiant glowing sweepings of the spotlights, shining down overhead like angelic pathways to heaven. Breaking through the front was not a wise option but the Black Ghost knew he had to get inside. Perched behind another boulder, the Black Ghost scanned the front gate for a way in. Security was too tight to try and slip by; however, dispatching the posted guards would undoubtedly draw unwanted attention to his presence. As the Black Ghost pondered his next move, there was a sudden rumbling sound to his left. Glancing over, the Black Ghost saw lights on the dusty road heading towards him. Ducking low, the Black Ghost watched carefully as a hovering freight truck floated past his hiding place and came to a stop at the gates. The porky guard in the security shack waddled out of his post and over to the driver's side of the hover-truck.

"Activate landing gear and kill the engine please," the podgy guard requested as he approached the right side of the driver's cab. The driver's side window rolled down to reveal a very slim faced man with rough looking facial hair.

"Sup Ian! You on the checks tonight?" the rugged young man chimed leaning out of his window.

"Luke! Awright mate! Yeah, got stuck on shack duty tonight cozza short staff. Don't matt'r. I get paid for slacking off all bloody night," the guard chortled, "what'cha got for me eh?"

"The usual. A few illegal immigrants, couple of WMDs and those pretty little teabags you seem to like so much," the driver joked.

"Sweet. Make my shift even better. Right just need to give the truck a once over. You know the drill."

"Sure do…go ahead."

The driver pulled his head back into the vehicle and activated its landing gear which apprehensively descended from the bottom of the hover-truck. As the three square-footed legs touched the dusty road, the driver killed the engine which faded out with a low groan. The glowing blue hover panels on the underside of the freighter, that gave the vehicle its lift, died out as the heavily-built security guard wandered around to the back. Having checked the cargo hold of the truck, the guard then examined the vehicle as if he were expecting to find something out of the ordinary.

"Right, that's all good mate," the guard chanted slapping the side of the truck which boomed with a dull, metallic thud with each hit.

"Cheers man," the driver hollered back engaging the engine again. The truck hummed as energy began to flow through its briefly dormant power pathways again. The hoverpads on the base of the vehicle slowly illuminated into their neon blue glow and the whole truck began to levitate off the ground. The portly security guard plonked himself down in his seat in the shack and placed his hand on a gridded, biometric scanning pad. The pad blipped in verification and the gate slowly rolled back to allow access into the compound.

"Thanks Ian. You still up for that drink on Friday night down the pub by the green?" the rugged freight driver called as he floated past the security hut.

"The Rose and Thistle? Yeah sure. It'll get me away from the missus. She wants to head down to the monster-in-law's that day. Pub's a good enough excuse for me," the guard said with a choking laugh. The driver joined in the laughter as he manoeuvred his vehicle into the compound and the security gate rolled closed behind it.

The hover-truck made its way to a dark and deserted warehouse loading area where the driver backed up into his designated space to unload his cargo. Lowering the truck's landing gear and disengaging the engine, the driver stepped out of his cab and wandered over to the warehouse door.

"Hmm, no guards here tonight. Ian wasn't kidding about being short staffed," the driver said aloud to himself. Shrugging it off, the driver looked up at the gigantic, vertically-rolling shutter that was the warehouse entrance. Moving over to a small computer panel on the door's right side, he tapped a large green key and the display screen flickered into life.

"Please enter transport driver I.D card," the panel droned in a monotonic female voice. The driver reached into his pocket, pulled out a small, translucent plastic card and slotted it into the machine.

"Verifying…please wait…" the computer said.

"Yeah, well, hurry it up babe…I've got four more deliveries to make before my shift's over and they ain't exactly local stops," the driver barked back. As he awaited security clearance, the driver walked back over to the cargo doors of his truck and released the locks. As the doors of the truck swung open, the driver stared at the mass of crates sitting in the back.

"Meh…I wish this lousy job was more exciting," he sighed. Suddenly, the man felt something latch onto his ankles, and then, his feet suddenly flew out from underneath him. The driver flopped to the ground cracking the back of his head on the asphalt. Groaning, the man placed his hand gingerly on the impact point and rolled over onto his side. Sitting up, the driver gasped as he saw something flicker out of the corner of his eye. Before he knew what had happened, he felt a heavy force throw his head forward and all went black.

Standing tall over his fifth victim for the night, the Black Ghost watched the freight driver as his face slid down the open cargo door and came to rest on the concrete. Taking the unconscious driver's limp body, the Black Ghost awkwardly bundled him into the cargo hold of his own truck, tucked away behind a tall set of crates at the back. Sitting him upright, the Black Ghost took a thick, cargo reinforcement strap and fastened the subdued driver to the wall like the other crates. Having tied up the driver, the Black Ghost hopped down from the back of the truck and closed the doors sealing the driver inside his own vehicle. Then, he strolled casually up to the gigantic warehouse shutter just as the console on the right pinged and the recorded voice said,

"I.D verification complete. Access to warehouse C14 has been approved. Deactivating external security shield…" As the console fell silent, a square-tessellated wall of neon blue suddenly flashed before the enormous shutter for a brief second before each of the large square panels disintegrated into nothingness.

"Security shield deactivated. Opening shutter…" the computer chimed as it spat out the driver's access card, "please deposit your cargo on the loading bay for collection. Thank you and have a nice evening." The Black Ghost took the clearance card and placed it in his pocket as the great shutter door rolled up allowing entrance into the warehouse. Once there was enough room, the Black Ghost walked inside.

The interior of the warehouse was huge. There was easily enough space to house a large aircraft. That would have been the case had it not been loaded up with metal shelving units packed full of wooden crates, metal freights and sorting robots, that resembled forklifts, milling to and fro stacking supplies and checking the encoded label chips embedded on each of the boxes' fronts. The whole room was alive with the whirring and buzzing of machinery carrying out their programmed duties mindlessly. The Black Ghost took a step into the warehouse but froze as he heard a distinct sound echoing within the walls and shelves. It was a choppy sound as if a miniature helicopter were flying inside the building. Ducking behind a set of unsorted boxes, the Black Ghost looked up to the high ceiling. There, flying just between the ceiling lights and the top of the shelves was what looked like a floating white ring with a telescope sticking out the front end.

"_A Cambot,_" the Black Ghost thought, "_so security isn't as slacked as it appears from the outside._"

The Cambot was a mass-produced, mobile surveillance camera that came in two versions. The flying '_SC-23' _model and the grounded _'SC-07' _model which ran on wheels. Both types of Cambot were fitted with a telescopic camera that had a direct link to the base's personnel database. With the clothing of the base's personnel micro-chipped, in detecting this minute piece of circuitry, the Cambot could access the security database for personnel registered to be on the site. In failing to locate this microchip, the Cambot would confront the person and request identification. Failing to produce valid I.D results in a security alert. The Black Ghost was aware of these machines and their capabilities and above all, the trouble they can potentially cause to someone such as himself. Even visitors to a complex like this are given a micro-chipped badge to attach to their garments and their details registered to the security system. The synchronisation between the database and the Cambots was supposed to be flawless, taking mere seconds to tell the difference between an acknowledged guest and an unauthorised entity.

The surveying SC-23 Cambot overhead scanned the aisles and crept closer to the Black Ghost from its vantage point. He shrunk back to remain out of sight as it noisily glided over him. The Black Ghost slid out from his hiding place once the coast was clear. Things were going to be much more difficult with these scouting machines patrolling the area; and with the warehouse looking like an industrial hedge maze, a hasty move would create pandemonium with the guards sent running to his revealed location. There had to be an exit. A way through to the main building. The research department had to be somewhere close to the storerooms for quick and easy access to stock and necessary supplies needed for the compound's experiments. The most logical assumption was that there was access somewhere at the back of the warehouse. The Black Ghost made his move dashing from one row and ducking into the next. The sorting robots seemed completely oblivious to the hooded figure shooting around in between the shelves and unsorted stock that lay strewn about the warehouse. They simply continued their duties unaware of his presence which suited the Black Ghost fine.

Having navigated his way, somewhat randomly, through the giant shelves, the Black Ghost was crouched behind a metal container awaiting the opportunity to make his next move. His options were not wise ones however. Cornered between the wall and a line of crates, there was only a long passageway down one of the aisles between the shelves with a turning at the other end. A sprint would be risky but it was the only route through. Readying himself, he was about to charge forward when he heard the familiar chopping sound of the airborne Cambot coming into view. Now, the Black Ghost was trapped. If he remained where he was, he was bound to be spotted but the irritating machine had paused at the end of his only route past. What was worse, the Black Ghost had just realised that a carrier robot was coming to collect the container he happened to be hiding behind. The situation looked bleak with no means of escape. Just then, the Black Ghost looked up and saw that another carrier robot had just removed a large box from the shelf just in front of him. He saw his chance. Kicking off, the Black Ghost dashed for the opening in the shelf. Still a good few feet from the gap, the Black Ghost dove forward and slipped through the space in the shelf just as the Cambot turned around to face down the aisle he was a few seconds ago. All it saw was a blind, forklift robot retrieving the last of its cargo in this section of the warehouse.

Controlling his flight, the Black Ghost felt his gloved fingertips touch the cold, gritty floor signalling him to tuck in. Drawing his legs in, the Black Ghost rolled and came to a slightly unsteady stop, crouched and facing the ground. Relieved to have narrowly dodged that last SC-23, the Black Ghost was about to stand up when a crackled, distorted voice spoke out.

"Identification please," it said to the crouched figure. The Black Ghost flicked his head up and found himself staring down the camera lens of a mobile yet grounded Cambot on wheels. The Black Ghost cursed his luck as he remain ducked before the security robot still awaiting a response.

"Identification please…" it droned again. That was strike two. Another ignored request or sudden escape attempt would result in a full-scaled security alert. The armed guards would come flocking to him like vultures to an unattended carcass. He had to think of something fast or risk his presence being compromised and failing the mission. And failure meant death; no one would be coming to his rescue if he were to be captured.

"Final request…please produce a valid identification article or security will be summoned," the wheeled Cambot urged emotionlessly. The third strike with the callout soon to follow. Ignorance was no longer a pliable option. He needed to make a move.

With a flick of the wrist, the Black Ghost pulled the freight driver's I.D card out from his coat pocket and held it out to the Cambot. The Cambot's telescopic lens whizzed and whirred as it scanned the encoded data imprinted on the small plastic card.

"Identification accepted. Thank you driver number #0-2-1-4-7-6-3. Mr. L Munsch. You have seventeen minutes of unloading time remaining. Please ensure all delivered stock is inside the warehouse before 20:23. Morland Labs greatly appreciates your service. Have a good evening." With that, the Cambot rolled past the still crouched Black Ghost to continue its patrols.

The Black Ghost stood up slowly and looked back at the little machine as it disappeared around the corner. Thankfully these particular SC-07 models were not updated with the latest face recognition programme as the SC-07 'Delta' series. The I.D card was deception enough to fool the robot into accepting him as the freight driver who was probably still unconscious in the back of his own truck. Having deceived the supposed _"cutting edge security technology"_, the Black Ghost continued his search for a way into the research section. Unphased by his run-in with the security robot, he also realised it had given him a warning. Seventeen minutes until the I.D card became invalid. Now he was running on a time limit. This card gave him a guaranteed exit should events conspire against him and things become difficult. The robot had mentioned the time of expiration…20:23. Acknowledging the set time period left, the Black Ghost hurried onwards.

It wasn't long before the Black Ghost discovered a sealed double door in the far northeast corner of the warehouse. Unfortunately, the control panel next to the door had rejected the freight driver's I.D card and denied the Black Ghost access to what he was certain was the research labs. The panel defiantly spat out the card and blurted "Invalid identification. Access denied" tunelessly at him. Obviously, the cargo delivery drivers were not granted passage through to the laboratories without special clearance. From his position, there didn't appear to be anyway past the door. Perhaps an internal approach was not the best course of action but it would be a waste of time to backtrack outside and look for an alternative access point. Suddenly, the control panel spoke out to the Black Ghost.

"Please stand clear of the warehouse doors. Transport robot approaching…" Slightly puzzled at first, the Black Ghost saw a double door automatically pull apart from each other. Glancing through the open doorway, he saw one of the forklift robots rolling towards the warehouse. He'd found his entrance. On allowing the blind machine to pass, he'd jump through the closing doors and into the complex. Tucking himself to the side of the door, hidden and out of the way, he stood poised to leap in at the right moment.

Just as he was about to make his move, the robot past through the doorway only to be surrounded by what looked like a thin, electric blue membrane. As the machine past through, the membrane opened up but it was wrapped far too tightly around the robot to allow the Black Ghost to sneak past in the opposite direction. The Black Ghost cursed his luck as he watched the robot roll straight past him and into the warehouse. Now curious about the membrane shielding the doorway, he picked up a loose piece of debris from the floor and threw it gently at the open doorway. He guessed it to be a security alarm grid or an energy field that injured any hand that touched it. The Black Ghost was surprised however to see the piece of debris hit the wall and shoot back the way it came at lightning speed. It was a reflective field. Anything that touched it was immediately repelled back. Had the Black Ghost tried to jump through as the transport robot was passing, he would have been launched back like a ragdoll to fall flat, somewhat humiliatingly, on his backside.

The higher security clearance obviously opened the door and deactivated the reflective field's wall as humans past but there must have been a different method of clearance for the machines. The robots must have had some means of an electromagnetic field which counteracted the frequency of the reflective field and opened up a pathway through it rather than completely deactivating it. A clever way of manipulating the security system but an irritating one for the Black Ghost who now had a new obstacle to overcome. Without proper clearance, there was no chance of him deceiving this security system. He pondered the concept of the robots ability to pass through the field. He did notice that there was an open space between the body of the robot and its carrying compartment. Perhaps, the electromagnetic radiation from the robots acted more like a bubble than a slim-fitted filed of its own. In other words, there were gaps present between the transport robot and the cargo it would be carrying.

In light of that fact, the Black Ghost predicted that if he were to contain himself within that electromagnetic field emitted by the transport robot, he could effectively be carried through the reflective security field. Or, it could be possible that the shield could detect living organisms and repel them whilst allowing the machine to pass. The Black Ghost continued to contemplate the workings of the reflective field but he train of thought was disturbed by the sound of clunking of rolling metal tracks on the hard concrete ground. Turning to glance down the aisle, the Black Ghost saw another transportation robot heading for the door. It had a large chrome crate on its loading arms but there appeared to be just enough space for the Black Ghost to hop aboard in between the robot and its load. There was no certainty that the theory of passing through the shield would work, but the only way to prove the hypothesis would be to physically try it out. The Black Ghost had made up his mind.

Crouched by the door, he awaited the robot to pull up alongside him. The tracked machine blindly rolled up to the door and hey automatically opened revealing the paper thin, neon blue membrane of the reflective field. The robot began to move off again and the Black Ghost quickly hopped onto the loading arms of the machine tucked away in between the robot's control panel and its chrome-encased cargo. The robot moved towards the shield, cargo first. The chrome box entered the reflective field piercing the blue wall and parting it allowing itself passage through and into the restricted area. As he had seen before, the Black Ghost saw an area of space between the cargo and the shield. The shield was not touching the surface of the box but seemed to be hovering a good few inches above it. The cargo was now through the shield but as it started to pass over the Black Ghost, it appeared to be shrinking. The blue membrane began dropping over the edge of the box where technically should not be anything but air. The Black Ghost ducked as low as he could to avoid touching the reflective field as it crept steadily closer. Just as the glowing wall was due to come into contact with the top of the Black Ghost's head, the shield suddenly shot back up again. The robot's body had approached the reflective field and its electromagnetic radiation had forced it up and out of the way. The transport robot rolled carelessly out of the shielded doorway and out into the corridors of the compound as the automatic doors of the warehouse slammed shut behind it.

Having successfully made it past the reflective shield and out of the warehouse, the Black Ghost allowed the transport robot to carry him around the bend where he jumped off and rolled into a dark corner. The transport robot continued on its delivery route, around the next bend and out of sight leaving the Black Ghost alone to survey his surroundings. Despite the intensity of the luminous lighting strips overhead, the compound's interior looked lifeless and bland. Everything was bleached white like an ultra clean hospital wing. There was no décor, no plants or works of art on the walls. Only plain white walls segregated occasionally by a set of double doors that shared an equal brilliance of white as the immaculate walls. He'd made it at last. His investigation could finally begin. The Black Ghost rolled back his left sleeve to check his watch. Just under thirteen minutes remaining it reported displaying the time of 20:11. Not enough time to conduct a thorough search of the compound so he had to work fast if he wanted to get what he'd come for and escape without being discovered. Without wasting another moment, the Black Ghost took off down the halogen-lit corridors.


	5. Educational Pressures

Chapter 4: Educational Pressures

Dateline: 19th April 327 N.E, 08:57

Having missed their shuttle bus and without another due for another thirty-five minutes, Kairyn and Chris were forced to sprint their way to school to avoid receiving, what would have been Kairyn's third detention in a month for repeated spells of tardiness. The school gates appeared from across the road as the pair of them tore around the last corner. Kairyn beamed as he darted over the road, forcing an elderly gentleman on a floating mobility vehicle to swerve out of the way having nearly careered into them.

"Phew…we made it…" Kairyn sighed breathlessly as he slowed to a stop inside the school grounds, "I can hardly believe we made it Chris…err…Chris?" Kairyn glanced around to discover that his friend was on longer beside him.

"_Where'd he go now?_" Kairyn pondered. Just then, he heard the sound of husky breathing from behind him.

"Why…why is it…you…always seem to…forget…my…my legs are…a lot…shorter than yours?" Chris wheezed hunched over with his hands on his knees.

"Hey, it's not my fault you're so…erm…'vertically impaired'," Kairyn sniggered. Chris just eyed him menacingly still too breathless to reply.

"Don't gimme that face," Kairyn said in defence just as a loud ringing echoed over the school.

"I hope that was the bell for morning registration," Kairyn said fretfully scanning the playground for any signs of life. So far, only the school's caretaker could be seen vaporising leaf litter with one of his countless laser tools that many students have wanted to try out but could never find.

"No such luck," Chris sighed pointing over to the main building's double doors which parted automatically to allow a flood of school kids of all shapes and sizes to pour out onto the playground to make their way to their first lessons of the day.

"Damn, first period's history. And I haven't even had any time to do any last minute cramming before the test. I've got no chance of passing it," Kairyn huffed in defeat.

"Come on, I'm sure it won't be that bad," Chris said trying his best to sound reassuring.

"I'm sure it will," Kairyn sighed, "c'mon. At least we won't be late for first period…"

Unfortunately for Kairyn and Chris, they did turn up late for their first lesson. Since they had not shown up for morning registration, they did not receive the morning's notices; in particular…the morning's ROOM CHANGES. To make matters worse, having arrived at their usual classroom and realised that there was a room alteration (having walked in on a class of eighth year kids) they had to run to the other end of the school to the relocated room. Bursting through the door of room C-1.6, Kairyn and Chris were greeted by a rather irritated head of the history department.

The history's head of department, Mr Dickenson, was a short, dumpy man that looked like he'd been a part of ancient history himself. At least mid-sixties, he had cold grey eyes, a beak-like hooked nose and a semi-circle crest of white hair bordering a bald head that seemed to glisten in the sunlight. Besides his ravaged physical features, Mr Dickenson's real traits showed in his rather distasteful choice of suits. He had a rainbow assortment of suits that always seemed a little too small for his rather plump physique. He appeared to have a different coloured suit for every day of the week. Today, it was emerald green matched with a horrific swirl-patterned tie that could have hypnotised anyone if they stared at it long enough.

"Kairyn Taylor and Christopher Johnson! Why am I not surprised it would be you two turning up long after the bell for the start of the lesson had rung," he growled flaring his nostrils.

"Sorry Mr Dickenson. We didn't know about the room change until…"

"Save your excuses Taylor! You can write me an essay on it in detention tomorrow after school," the grumpy teacher snapped waving a yellow slip of paper in from f Kairyn's face. With another defeated sigh, Kairyn took the detention slip from Mr Dickenson's podgy fingers and slunk over to his desk as the moody teacher turned on Chris. The day had hardly begun and Kairyn was already in trouble.

Kairyn found his designated place, three rows from the back of the class and collapsed in his chair. He couldn't believe his luck had been so bad lately. Everything just seemed to disintegrate around him as if fate was conspiring against him. A curse that haunted every step and every action and whenever he thought it couldn't possibly get any worse; somehow it found a way. It ALWAYS found a way. Kairyn looked up to the front of the class as Mr Dickenson waddled up to the large display screen to begin the lesson. Before the pot-bellied teacher even opened his lips, Kairyn already knew the two words he was about to say. The two words he had been fearing since his misfortunate journey to school his morning.

"History Test. I'm sure you've all studied enough to complete this short examination on 'Myths and Legends." The class groaned as Mr Dickenson activated the screen with a long metal pointing rod with a glowing red light on the end. The screen immediately flashed up the topic title and the rules and regulations for the upcoming test which the teacher repeated.

"Now, would all students please start up your PDCs. The program should run automatically. I will display the password once everyone has input their name and student reference number."

Kairyn glanced down at his Personal Desk Computer. Similar to a regular personal computer but these were built directly into the desk. The writing surface doubled up as the computer's touch screen which was operated by a stylus. This was now the bog-standard equipment for all schools; one of the many technological products of the New Era, along with holographic model display for the science department and an environment simulator in the ICT area (which one of the lab technicians frequently programmed to run video game environments he developed in his own time, using students as guinea pigs. Not that the students minded being subjected to such tests). Still, Kairyn gazed blandly into the screen of his PDC as it self-activated and ran its start up protocol. All the while, Kairyn was desperately trying to think how he'd was going to get through this. It was bad enough he had just landed himself in yet another detention, but if he dared show another low test score to his folks, he'd be forced to watch his beloved video game console become an appetiser for the rubbish truck at next week's rubbish collection. His gaming career was at stake…the only thing that seemed to keep him sane in amongst all the trouble he always managed to find himself in.

"Right class. The password is now up on the board screen. You have until the end of the class to complete the exam. The system will auto-lockdown once the bell for period changeover sounds. You have approximately forty-five minutes. Good luck and….begin." With no other choice, Kairyn took a deep breath and tapped the glowing red button on the screen of the PDC labelled 'Start'.

After forty-two minutes of antagonising testing, Kairyn was relieved to realise he was only a few questions away from the end. Fortunately, the vast majority of the exam's questions had been multiple choice but some of the essay questions proved difficult to get by without prior knowledge. Kairyn tapped away furiously at his holographic keyboard that floated inches above his PDC screen to finish off his sentence for question twenty-four. Hitting the return glyph, Kairyn glanced at the board screen at the front of the class. "09:48" the glowing green digital display read.

"_Two minutes left…one more question to go,_" Kairyn thought flicking his eyes from the clock back down to his desk. In the numbered column on the left-hand side of the touch screen, Kairyn tapped button twenty-five at the bottom of the list with his stylus. The question window popped up in the remainder of the screen space which he read under hushed breath.

"What was the title given to the fabled bout that allegedly ended the events of the supervirus outbreak in 2113 A.D?" Kairyn scratched his head. His mind had drawn a complete blank. He glanced up at the clock. Just under a minute to go before period changeover. He pressed the keyboard button and the PDC's screen and the white hovering keyboard glyph materialised before his hesitant fingertips. He still didn't have a clue to what to type in the empty answer box. Then, all of a sudden, something jumped into his mind. As he moved his fingers over the keyboard glyph to start typing, the keyboard turned from white to a warning red and, despite his tapping, the keyboard failed to respond.

"Hey what?" Kairyn started but he was drowned out by the sound of a bell.

"Okay class. PDCs have been locked down. Your results will be given out next week," Mr Dickenson piped trying to project his voice over the deafening sound of the bell, "before you leave, be sure to pick up a Datadisc with today's assignment; it's due next Monday for period four." As the bell finally ceased it tuneless ringing, the class gathered their belongings, hoisted their bags onto their shoulders and barged out the door.

Kairyn, now gazing miserably at his newly acquired detention slip, snapped out of his trance as a squeaky voice called out to him.

"So…how'd you do Kai?" Chris asked having finally caught up with Kairyn after battling the flow of corridor traffic shuffling in the opposite direction.

"Nothing to brag about," Kairyn replied tucking his yellow invitation of solitary confinement as deep into his bag as possible, "dare I ask how you did."

"I thought it was kinda easy myself," Chris beamed happily.

"You would…" Kairyn mumbled rolling his eyes.

"I didn't get all of them though. Like that last question. Did you put anything down for that one?"

Kairyn stopped to think for a moment, "No, but I was about to before the auto lockdown kicked in."

"Really? I didn't have a clue. What was it you were gonna put down?"

Kairyn opened his mouth to speak but his mind suddenly blurred and went blank, "I…I don't know…the name's escaped me now…what was it?"

"Ahh, don't matter. The tests over now."

"Yeah, and a good thing too. I am NOT looking forward to my result next Monday. That is if I get to see next Monday. My mum's gonna strangle me when she finds out I've been dumped in detention AGAIN for being late," Kairyn sighed as he approached the exit, "why me?"

"Don't fret it Kai. I'm sure something good will come your way soon. I mean…you're majorly overdue for some good luck," Chris piped optimistically. Kairyn looks at him looking unamused.

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Kairyn said flatly.

"Well it was supposed to…" Chris said shrugging sheepishly. Kairyn shook his head pitifully as they exited C-building and stood out in the bright sunshine.

With a different choice in subjects, Chris and Kairyn parted company for their second period but planned to meet up at their usual rendezvous spot under a small tree in a discreet corner of the playground once the bell for morning break rung. That is, Kairyn had planned to be at the meeting place on time had he not run into his two least favourite people in the world next to his own brother.

"Kai?! What happened to you?" Chris exclaimed watching Kairyn stagger over like he'd just been hit by some rampaging animal.

"Bumped into the Becker Brothers on the way over from Practical P.E," Kairyn explained fixing his black, hooded jacket on his shoulders properly, "They got a little sore about a few goals I scored against them in the football match we played today." Having corrected his clothing, Kairyn dropped to a seat on the bench next to his friend who was about to tuck into a sandwich.

"Mind if I nick the other half of that?" Kairyn asked hopefully, "Darren shoved me over and took my lunch credit. Looks like I'm gonna be scrounging for the rest of the day." Feeling bad for him, Chris gladly turned over the remaining half of his sandwich and Kairyn thanked him.

"You know what's funny," Chris said swallowing a mouthful, "I thought twins were supposed to be mirror images of each other. Y'know. One twin's supposed to be good and other is evil. So why are both Becker Brothers plagued by evil minds?"

"Guess the good gene mutated in Barry when someone ran over his Cybercat, " Kairyn joked. Chris coughed and spluttered with laughter as he visualised the bulky built Barry Becker weeping like a baby as his animatronic cat got hit by an imaginary hovercar.

"Oh well, whatever the reason, maybe I can avoid those muscle-headed bullies for the rest of the day. I don't need any more physical abuse from anyone else today. I think I've managed to fill my daily quota of beats in the space of a couple of hours," Kairyn sighed. Chris, starting to feel bad for his friend decided to change the subject.

"Err…hey! How's Shadow Slasher going? You finished it yet?"

"Ooh! Don't get me started on that sodding game!" Kairyn grumbled, "I finally made it to the final level, the one where you have to scale Midnight Tower, but I got annihilated on the city streets. I got nowhere NEAR the tower!"

"You mean when the hoard of shadow minions attack you at the start? That bit's easy!" Chris boasted, "I got through that bit no problem; and on my first try. If you're struggling with that area, you're gonna hate what you've got coming up next. It gets harder."

"Seriously?" Kairyn asked half wishing not to know the answer but Chris was already nodding, "Great. Even my video games have got it in for me."

"I read on an online forum that that entire battle scenario was adapted from another huge selling video game dated all the way back to 2005 AD! Can't think of the name though.

"2005 AD? Man! Games controllers had only just started going wireless back then. Wow, that's some history and that musta been some game. Wonder what it was called?" Kairyn said rather surprised, "Oh, have you seen the new V.R.I.E battle simulators down at the arcade in town? Apparently they're the top gaming systems around and our very own local arcade's got one!"

"A Virtual Reality Immersion Environment battle sim?! Oh my gosh!" Chris exploded excitedly, "When'd they get one of those? The only one we've ever played was when the two of us went to the Arcadeium in the city's central quadrant. Remember that?"

Kairyn laughed, "Oh yeah. That medieval battle program. We rocked at that! Cost us plenty though but definitely worth the hard earned creds. Everything about it looked and felt so real…minus the moral injuries."

"Yeah, but I still can't believe that our own local arcade's getting one! You know we've got to try that out this weekend," Chris squeaked hyperactively.

"Yeah, us and every other kid for twenty kilometres. You know it's going to be maxed out. I heard from Kieran that the arcade owners have had to take down a name database given kids a specific date and time they can come and play coz of the huge response from players," Kairyn said negatively.

"Guess so. And I bet it'll be kinda thirsty for credits too. Even more that the central quad's one. Besides, my account is looking a bit dry at the moment."

Kairyn laughed again, "You and me both mate." Suddenly, the bell echoed over the school grounds signalling the end of morning break.

"Better get going. What'cha got next Chris?" Kairyn asked slinging his bag on his shoulder.

"Double Tech Studies. We've been promised another mock exam," Chris moaned.

Right, I've go Electronics then English. I'll catch up with you at lunch." With that, they parted for their next two periods of the day.

The mid section of the school day seemed to pass fairly smoothly, despite the fact that Kairyn managed to melt his circuit board and components into a solid mass of plastic during Electronics and he forgot his studying materials for English which he was sure was lurking around somewhere in the untamed wilderness that was his bedroom floor. Lunchtime came and Chris offered to buy Kairyn something since his lunch was already being devoured mercilessly by the Becker Brothers at Kairyn's expense. The free period passed somewhat quicker than Kairyn had hoped as the bell rang and everyone filed off to their form rooms for afternoon registration. Thankfully, Kairyn's form tutor, Ms Ryan, had a much nicer personality and sweeter demeanour than many of his other subject teachers. Although, she did seem to have a habit of overly scenting herself with powerful perfumes that could have probably knocked someone out if they inhaled too deeply. The form group settled as the fiery, red-headed teacher called out the list of alphabetical surnames. Kairyn was always second to last to be called just before Sam Trimble but he was surprised to hear the teacher call another name.

"And Melissa Trine," Ms Ryan called.

"_Melissa Trine?_" Kairyn thought, "_Who the hell's that?_" His question was answered by a young, heavenly-toned female voice coming from the far corner to the form room.

"Yes Ms Ryan." Kairyn turned to find the owner of the sweet voice. Sitting at her PDC was a young girl who looked no older than he did. She had a head of long blonde hair that seemed to glisten in the daylight pouring in from the window and a pair of laser blue eyes that could pierce the dark with their radiance. Her skin was fair and her face was slim but glowed healthily complete with a cute button nose and a heart-warming smile. By the sound of her voice, she seemed slightly shy but she sat upright and confident.

"How has your first day been so far Miss Trine?" the form tutor asked over the noise of nine other conversations that had broken out in amongst the other students.

"It's been fine Ms Ryan," the new girl chimed with a smile.

"That's good." Suddenly, the ambient noise of the classroom had drained out to a muffled buzzing as Kairyn continues to gawk at the form group's newest arrival. Without even noticing him, she had seized all Kairyn's attention. He almost failed to acknowledge Chris who was snapping his fingers in front of his face.

"Yo….Kai!...Kai! Wake up man! Don't step into the light!" Kairyn shook his head violently as he was brought back to reality.

"Huh? Wha?" he babbled as his blurry vision focused on Chris.

"Phew, thought we'd lost you for sure that time," Chris giggled, "who you making faces at?"

"That new girl," Kairyn said mystified, "when'd she move into our class?"

"This morning," a bushy haired boy answered, "she just turned up at registration today."

"Turned up? Where from? Another form group?" Chris asked.

"Nah. Apparently she's new to the area. Moved here from the countryside or somethin' like that, " the boy continued, "Ms Ryan made her do the usual 'What's your travelling story?' routine she made us all do back in year seven when we all started…remember that?"

"Boy do I? How embarrassing," Chris said rubbing his face with discomfiture, "We're year elevens and she still made her do that humiliating ice-breaker?"

"Yeah I know. That's gonna get her some street cred," the boy said sarcastically, "poor girl was blushing pretty much through the whole thing."

"Poor girl…" Chris sympathised, "what's her name again?"

"Melissa Trine…" Kairyn hummed entranced.

"Wow. You picked up her name fast," Chris said mildly impressed, "it took you two weeks to remember mine."

Kairyn laughed lightly but quickly found his attention drawn back to the blonde girl sitting across the row from him in the opposite corner. No one seemed to be talking to her but she appeared quite content in the presence of her own company. For some reason, Kairyn was spellbound by her. He couldn't take his eyes of her. Something about this girl was so strangely hypnotising that she was all he could see. The world slid back into focus as the bell rang out for period five. The class broke up and shuffled out the door but Kairyn's mind was still on the new student. Wandering over to A-Building, he hoped the warm air would help to clear his head. Things had definitely taken a weird twist today.

At twenty-past three, the final school bell of the day rang loud allowing hundreds of grateful school kids to pour out of the gates to make their way home. Kairyn stood up against the wall of A-Building's science department waiting for Chris. As his class strolled out of A-Building's automatic metallic doors, he spotted Chris heading away from the front gates.

"Hey, where ya going Chris?" Kairyn called after him, "there is no period seven you know."

"There is for me," Chris replied hurrying towards a small, single-storey building.

"Oh yeah. Thursday…music lesson," Kairyn sighed.

"My mum's still got me doing it. Says I'm too good to quit," Chris said as if enslaved.

"Don't worry about it. You gonna be on live linkup tonight?"

"Doubt it. Dr. Matwick gave us double assignments due in for tomorrow."

"Oh…well…I guess I'll cya tomorrow then…"

"Yeah sure. I'll drop by yours usual time okay? Cya!"

"…Bye…" Kairyn said deflated waving weakly as Chris dashed off.

Now on his own, and with the majority of the school's population fled, Kairyn headed for the gates. Head hung low and dragging his feet, Kairyn had just passed through the school gates when he bumped into someone.

"Oh s-sorry…" Kairyn stammered half expecting to be shouted at.

"Sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going," a young girl said. Kairyn looked up and he met a pair of luminous blue eyes under a thin curtain of golden blonde hair.

"Melissa Trine!" Kairyn gasped taking a hop backwards.

"Yes," the girl said with a nod and a smile, "you're Kairyn Taylor right?"

Kairyn was dumbstruck, "You…you know me?!"

"Not really. You were late to history class this morning," she said softly. Kairyn felt his face flush warm.

"Oh…you saw me get screamed at by Mr. Dickenson?" eh said sounding a bit embarrassed.

"It was kind of hard to miss. Mr Dickenson had you pinned up against the door in front of everyone. I didn't think that was very fair to shout at you like that."

"It hasn't been the only time believe me. I think Mr Dickenson is just one of many teachers who seem to have it in for me lately," Kairyn said with a sheepish grin. The girl giggled as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Erm…you…you going to the shuttle stop?" she then asked. Kairyn opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He was bowled over by the simple question.

"I was just wondering. I'm heading that way and I'm…still kinda trying to get used to the area," she continued brushing her long hair out of her face slowly with one hand and tucking it behind her right ear.

"Err…sure. I mean yeah…I go that way too," Kairyn stumbled as he mentally kicked himself to try and play it cool.

"Great," she beamed as she let Kairyn lead the way.

All the way down to the shuttle stop, Kairyn walked with the new girl. Given his run of bad luck today, it all evaporated from his mind as they strolled side by side into the busy town centre. He couldn't believe he was talking with her and she seemed to easy to get along with. Everything about her was stunning from her radiant looks to her charming personality. Kairyn thought he'd found an angel with all the rotten luck he'd seem to have been cursed with. When they arrived at the shuttle stop (and rode together having realised they use the same shuttle route), they got off at the stop on Forest Heights High Street and pause to finish their conversation.

"No kidding! You live in Forest Heights too?!" Kairyn exclaimed as the shuttle bus hummed and pulled away.

"Yeah. Only been here a few months. It's a lot closer to where my grandfather works."

"That's cool." There was a slight pause.

"Well…I better get going," the girl said at last.

"Yeah sure," Kairyn replied starting to head off in the opposite direction.

"Thanks for travelling with me Kairyn."

"Huh? Oh no, really. It's no problem. Any time Melissa."

"Please…call me Mel," she offered.

"Sure, only if you'll call me Kai," Kairyn fired back.

"Okay then…Kai. Cya round."

"Cya Mel." Kairyn watched her walk away and around the corner before turning to walk to his house the opposite way.

It normally didn't take him too long to get home from the shuttle stop, but today's final leg home seemed non-existent. Kairyn's mind was drifting in and out of reality as he mentally replayed his conversation with Melissa. He was still amazed by every aspect of her; so much so that his head was swimming. Before he knew it, he was at his front porch inserting his coded key into the lock switch next to the door. As per usual, no one was home. Tyronne would have been the first back from his training academy but having now graduated and on patrol for Keltech Labs in the centre of Second London, he'd probably be the last one in if he was placed on night patrol (which Kairyn silently wished he would). Flying up the stairs and into his bedroom, he slung his school bag in amongst the entropy of clothes on the floor and collapsed on his bed. Whatever haunting had bewitched him today, the new girl, Melissa Trine, had exorcised all of them in a brief walk and bus ride from school to home.


	6. New Recruit on the Beat

Chapter 5: New Recruit on the Beat

Dateline: 19th April 327 N.E; 08:07

It had not been a terribly good day for the eldest Taylor brother either. It was Tyronne's first day on guard duty for the mega corporation, Keltech Laboratories. His scuffle with his younger brother, Kairyn, earlier that morning, which resulted in him spilling his coffee all down the front of his new uniform had landed him in instant trouble with the security's head officer; Captain Alexander G. Schneider. A very stern man whose rigid stature was equalled only by his over emphasised sense of duty that he drilled into every single member of the security team at the top of his supersonic, boomingly deep voice. Captain Schneider was a giant of a man who boasted many skills in military combat, intelligence and the art of war. Originally from a small, remote German village (which was evident in the slight tone of his accent), Schneider lived in England's capital after migrating there with his mother at a young age to fulfil his childhood dreams to become a soldier like his father, grandfather and great grandfather before him (all of whom were killed on the battlefield). Given his reputation and field experience, Keltech Laboratories saw him as a worthy asset to the business when he was injured in a battle and was forced to pre-maturely retire his military career as a commanding officer. Perhaps it was this demeanour that he had that he felt had to be bellowed towards his security staff every hour of every day; never failing of course to emphasise how much of a waste of time and a waste of his many talents it was to train such a miserable bunch of worthless infants and have to call them a security response team. Buzz-cut, short blond, spiky hair laced the captain's rather long, square head that housed merciless eyes, a solid jaw and a glaring expression that looked more like his features had been carved into the man's face with a chisel. A man who lived on honour, pride and dignity and not an entity to tangle with for any opposing reason.

Unfortunately for Tyronne, arriving seven and a half minutes late for his first shift and with a damp patch on the chest of his new uniform did not allow him to set a very good first impression with Captain Schneider. Also, giving him excuses as to why he was late only added fuel to the raging inferno that was the captain's anger as he pinned Tyronne down in the changing room.

"Name!" the monstrous man barked having heard enough.

"T-Tyronne…T-T-Taylor…s-ss-sir…" Tyronne trembled hoarsely whilst stood to attention.

"NAME VURM!" the captain exploded allowing his accent to creep into his eruptive tone.

"T-TYRONNE TAYLOR SIR!" Tyronne forced to shout despite feeling terrified of his superior. The captain obviously strived on fear being the optimum motivator.

"Taylor eh? Vell…you've got a beet of a tiny voice zere Taylor. Maybe vee should all call you 'Tiny Taylor' huh?" the captain said grinning but the expression quickly disappeared as he started his next sentence, "Vight Tiny Taylor! You vere not taken on by zees squard…by MY squard! To stroll in nearly ten minutes late, vearing votever CRAP mummy made you vor breakfast! And zen, you have zee God Almighty urge to think you can squirm your vay OUT of it by giving me zum lame arse excuse! As pathetic as zees little collection of mees-fits are, you have just crowned yourself ZEE-MOST-PITIFUL!" Tyronne flinched slightly as the ringing in his ears slowly dissipated from the captain's climatic roar. He remained silent, lost in the vacant stare of the captain's cold eyes and flaring nostrils as he glared over him. Tyronne was trying his utmost to keep still but he could feel his legs shaking as Captain Schneider raged on,

"From now on, you vill report to me ON TIME or I'll see to it that you spend every zecond of your puny existence cleaning every zingle one of this building's toilets vith a toothbrush! UNDERSTOOD?!"

"S-sir!" Tyronne mumbled.

"IS ZAT UNDERSTOOD TINY TAYLOR!"

"SIR! ACKNOWLEDGED SIR!" Tyronne managed to bellow.

"Good!" Captain Schneider said with a sharp jerk of a nod. Tyronne, still trembling but still stood to attention, watched the giant man make his way to the exit of the room; his giant, slick, black boots thundering on the polished marble floor. Just as he reached the doorway and the doors slid apart, the captain paused and turned to glance at Tyronne from over his shoulder.

"Oh…and by dee vay, thanks vor volunteering to vork the night shift tonight," he said with a smug grin.

"The night shift?" Tyronne said in shock as he slacked from his rigid stance to look over at the captain, "but sir…I'm on the day shift! I'm not working the night tonight."

"The captain's grin widened as he turned to face the way he was about to walk, "You are now Tiny Taylor." Before Tyronne could protest any further, the burly captain took his step forward and left the room. Tyronne stood gawking at the doors as they rolled shut. Once the doors clicked shut, Tyronne turned and threw his clenched fist into the metallic door of his locker, cursing loudly, censored only by the clattering of the door as it slammed shut and bounced open again.

Having been fully acquainted with the demonic entity that was the security's commanding officer, Tyronne quickly got to work. Having found the armoury by sheer luck (having past it three times), Tyronne made his way to the main lobby. The Keltech Building was a metropolis encased in a 212-storey spire of chrome, marble and an incalculable amount of glass panels that pierced the capital's skyline. It was like a city within the city of Second London with everything any person could ever want. That was provided that you worked for the company. Some employees had apparently taken up permanent residence within the walls of the behemoth of a building. Keltech was responsible for a record number of scientific breakthroughs that had revolutionised the way humans lived from the production of energy cells to hover vehicles, medical discoveries, robotics and various other groundbreaking advances in all fields of biology, chemistry and physics. To many, Keltech's arrival was a revelation almost ordained by the heavens; a revelation that saw its sole purpose to prolong and improve human life. A fact that had made them a global phenomenon in a few short years. Employees worked around the clock to bring the world the height of technological advancements and it was all this that Tyronne had the "honour" of guarding alongside his fellow security guards.

Flying down the stairs, Tyronne dashed to the security desk, located in the centre of an immaculate, gigantic marble hall decorated with towering trees (genetic hybrids grown in the company's own laboratories), works of art and a beautiful waterfall fountain that somehow gave the illusion that it was tumbling upwards against the pull of gravity. Collapsing on the front desk, Tyronne looked up at the man sitting there who quickly jumped up as Tyronne slapped the desk.

"Whoa Taylor! Jeez man! You scared the crap outta me!" the uniformed guard exclaimed, "where the hell were you this morning? You missed the morning briefing with Captain Schneider."

"Don't worry; I got a personal briefing from our great leader when he hunted me down in the locker room," Tyronne muttered as he wandered behind the security desk, "hey Lee, what sector am I supposed to be patrolling today?"

The guard turned to look at the computer screen hidden behind the counter, "Hope you brought your climbing gear, you're up in the animal labs; floors 142 to 149."

"Perfect," Tyronne groaned circling the desk to get to the lift tubes at the rear of the foyer.

"Oh, tubes are only running to floor 122 by the way. We had a mainframe crash about a half hour ago. Maintenance is on it now but reckon it'll take 'em another hour or so 'til they're up and going again." Lee then suddenly said just as Tyronne past on the left hand side of the counter.

"Oh for bloody hell's sake! Floor 122?! It's gonna take me an hour just to get to floor 142!" Tyronne grumbled.

"Sorry pal," Lee shrugged, "here, a present for ya. Maybe this might make things easier." Tyronne glanced back at the young guard behind the desk as he rummaged in one of the cupboards. After a few seconds, Lee tossed Tyronne a black helmet object with two circular grills positioned in the cheeks underneath the alien eye styled viewing windows. Tyronne caught the item in two hands and looked at the tag on the strange piece of equipment.

"_An O2 generating mask?_" Tyronne thought eyeing the helmet curiously. Then it clicked, "Very funny smart arse!" he snapped throwing the helmet back at Lee with some force secretly hoping that it would hit him square in the face. Unfortunately, for Tyronne, Lee caught it and was laughing from the friendly attack.

"No seriously. They're newly issued equipment hot off the belts of the R&D lab workbench. Captain Schneider volunteered us to try them out in the event of an emergency like if the gas tanks start leaking or areas of lower oxygen concentration," Lee explained once he's gotten control of his laughter. He gently lobbed the small helmet back to Tyronne who snatched it out of the air disapprovingly.

"So he's setting us up as guinea pigs?" Tyronne asked in disbelief before his tone turned sarcastic, "how nice of him. Don't think I'd wanna rely on this thing if it came to the crunch."

"You got that right. You'd probably be better off holding your breath. You'd probably live longer," Lee snorted a second before the computer terminal in front of him blipped noisily.

"Uh-oh! Lab 2-27a's got an access problem. Technicians are locked down in their own lab," Lee reported turning to his terminal and activating the keyboard glyph, "Dumb white coats. The most intelligent minds on the planet and they can't even operate a God-damned keycard reader." Tyronne sniggered as Lee tapped furiously at the glowing keyboard.

"You'd better get going. No doubt Schneider will be down here in a second wanting a full military strike planned out."

"Or he might just shout some more," Tyronne grinned, "rather you than me mate. I'll cya later." Lee flapped at Tyronne without taking his eyes off the screen in front of him. He was far too engrossed in the computer terminal to respond properly. Shaking his head, Tyronne strolled behind the foyer counter and to the lift tubes at the back of the giant, marble-floored atrium.

As much as Tyronne wished his workmate, Lee, had been wrong about the elevators being out of order from level 122 upwards, he knew there was no such hope of his wish becoming a reality. In fact, by the time his riding platform had frozen somewhere between floors 117 and 118, he began to question whether getting the placement with Keltech Laboratories was really as glitzy and glamorous as it had been made out to be when training at the academy. By the time he'd arrived at his post on floor 142, Tyronne was already exhausted. With four flights to advance a single floor up the cold, dimly lit, concrete stairwell, up from floor 118, it was quite an enduring challenge to ascend at speed. The three other guards who were patrolling the same sector were already making their rounds when Tyronne arrived and after a brief argument with the sector's leading security officer, Tyronne quickly got to work; nearly three-quarters of an hour later than he was supposed to start.

After four hours of wandering up and down the bleached white corridors of his designated seven floors to guard, Tyronne felt an overwhelming sense of boredom creeping into his mind. The only excitement he had had since beginning his patrol was rushing to lab 143-7b when several cloned monkeys escaped from their cages. However, Tyronne wasn't summoned because of the runaway animals, he was instructed to fetch one of the elderly technician's inhaler from the locker room when he found himself short of breath after chasing the delinquent test subjects. The patrolling of the lab corridors was uneventful. The lab technicians didn't utter a word to anyone dressed unlike them. They were either barricaded in their labs or scurrying around like rabbits darting from one room to another with armfuls of experimental equipment or noses buried deep into their PDAs. As advanced as these scientists were in all fields of science, obviously social science was not a subject area that was given much attention.

The transition from day to evening crawled from one stage to the next with every snail-paced hour. The Keltech spire now glowed within the city limits like a gigantic lightbulb as the fluorescent lighting strips beamed within the structure illuminating it with artificial light (all energy of course being produced from within the business). Tyronne had miraculously managed to remain out of trouble for the outstanding duration of the daytime shift. At the changing of the guards at eight o' clock that evening, Tyronne flew down the elevator tubes to a small area behind the foyer counter on the ground floor mere seconds before Schneider stormed onto the scene glowering at his fearful prey who were due to start the next shift. The prep-talk by the captain was short and to-the-point, peppered with the occasional insulting statement thrown at the nearest guard that happened to be next to him as he paced up and down the line of guards like an anxious caged lion. As the burly captain dismissed his assembly, Tyronne turned to leave when a booming voice beckoned him.

"Taylor! Front and centre!" Captain Schneider bellowed to Tyronne's back. Tyronne froze in his tracks and cringed before turning around slowly to face his superior.

"Sir!" Tyronne said with a respectful sharpness as he stood to attention.

"Change of plan vor you my tiny misfeet! I'm movin'k you to floor feety-sebben. Zat will be your position vor zee remainder of your shift tonight. It is upon special vequest from von of zee Keltech technicians," Captain Schneider said as calmly as he could muster although he was still bellowing like an ogre, "I felt obliged to honour such a vequest seeing as I greatly respect this vorker. In light of vich, do NOT make me regret making such a decision. Is zat clear?"

"Sir! Yes sir!" Tyronne barked. Somehow, despite the request for his specific presence on level fifty-seven, it didn't seem like much of an improvement seeing as Tyronne was still being forced to work a double shift.

"Good. Now get out of my sight and start acting like the respectable recruit you are supposed to be. And for God sakes, show zum pride in your vork!" Schneider snapped turning away to disappear through the nearest available doorway. Tyronne grumbled insults at the captain's huge shoulder blades as the automatic double doors slid into each other and clicked shut. Snatching his firearm from its leant position up against the foyer counter, Tyronne made his way up to floor fifty-seven. Thankfully, the maintenance department had finally fixed the fault with the elevator tubes but the ride on the elevator platform wasn't exactly smooth. Claustrophobia had almost settled in when the platform managed to get stuck somewhere between floors fifty-one and fifty-two. Thanks to a "Spider Crane" that shimmied its way up the lift shaft from the underneath, Tyronne found himself being pushed up to the next floor where he felt a sudden, great sense of longevity in deciding to take the stairs from now on.

Upon arriving at floor fifty-seven, Tyronne was amazed to realise that he was the only scheduled guard to patrol this level of the building. What made it odd was the fact that this level requires some of the highest security clearance and yet, he had been selected, by a Keltech employee no less, to stand guard of this high security sector. Doubt began to settle in his mind. Who in the world would possibly want him, upon special request, to come and watch over such a high clearance area and on his first day?

"Well, I have to say, your response time is gonna need a little more work. If our labs had been under attack, I doubt there'd be anything left that would be worth saving," a male voice said jokingly from behind Tyronne. Snapping out of his vacant stare, Tyronne whirled around to the sound of a somewhat familiar voice.

"D-Dad?!" Tyronne spluttered, his jaw hanging open.

"Formalities son. It's 'Professor Taylor' when we're onsite, otherwise I'm sure the board of directors will promptly be looking in the local ads for a new scientist and security agent." Tyronne smiled as he finally found a recognisable face in amongst the sea of white lab coats. His father, Professor Stephen Taylor, was a very handsome man for his rather ripe middle age. Standing at 5'10" in a full length white technician's lab coat, a good four or five inches shorter than his eldest son, Professor Taylor had thick, brown wavy locks topping a slightly elongated, slim face complete with warm, brown eyes and a caring fatherly smile. It was very easy to tell, just by looking at his two sons, that they had received their father's genes in terms of physical characteristics. The resemblance was striking. At the age of fifty-three, Stephen Taylor was one of Keltech's most brilliant and gifted employees. It was thanks to his genius that saw him leading and supervising some of the world's most cutting edge new technologies and scientific breakthroughs. All marvellous events that helped the Keltech name boom publicly and financially with Professor Taylor's theories, work and team remaining unfairly unaccredited. This did not stir the professor however; as he always said that he was never in his profession for the financial gain or fame.

From his previous achievements, Stephen Taylor had since been bumped up to a more executive position within the firm and worked in fields of untested sciences deemed highly hazardous and, if at all, a little taboo on terms of human ethics. Still, his intelligence was matched by very few and his rapport with fellow Keltech employees always preceded him. Despite all this sense of accomplishment, his dedication to his work had landed him in some troubles with his wife whereby he'd stay onsite, sometimes for weeks at a time, neglecting his role as a family man as well as a provider. His wife had told him on many an occasion that she was certain that the job would be the death of him to which he ridiculed as his spouse overreacting. Some of the stresses of his work were evident in the strains in his face and the ragged stubby facial hair that had started to become very predominant as he looked at his son in his new uniform through tired eyes.

"So it was you who requested my presence up here?" Tyronne asked as they strolled down the luminous corridors.

"Well, through another employee. A good friend of mine. Think it would have looked a little suspicious if 'Professor Taylor' suddenly decided to summon the only security officer on the grounds with the same surname. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that we're related and believe me, we have plenty of rocket engineers onsite at the moment," Professor Taylor smiled.

"Guess so. All they'd have to do is look at us," Tyronne laughed.

"Well, thankfully Captain Schneider agreed to it but somehow I think he already suspected the link between us. He's a good man; sharp as a pin," Professor Taylor continued.

Tyronne eyed his father somewhat objectively, "We are talking about the same Captain Schneider here right? The man's a TYRANT! He probably eats small children for breakfast. The bloke looks like some mutant test subject gone horribly wrong! He could probably level the city in a day!"

Professor Taylor looked at his son disapprovingly, "Now Tyronne. He is your commanding officer and you are to pay him all respect due. He is a very intelligent man, a great tactician in his hay-day." Tyronne snorted and turned away. The man was a monster in his opinion and very little was going to change that impression.

"Maybe that's just how he is with you security officers. We seem to have a mutual respect for each other," Professor Taylor continued as he began pondering a thought, "maybe I should invite him round to dinner tonight…" Tyronne snapped his head around to his father with wide, fearful eyes. He could not believe what he had just heard and was so dumbstruck, he was now lost for words.

"I'm kidding! Kidding!" the professor urged laying a reassuring hand on Tyronne's rigid left shoulder. Tyronne breathed a sigh of relief as they turned the corner.

"Speaking of tonight in fact, you'll have to tell your mother that I'm gonna be staying behind again tonight. We've just had a breakthrough with our current project and it looks like it's gonna be an all-nighter."

"You and me both Professor. I got 'unconditional volunteered' to work a double shift by our brave and fearless leader," Tyronne hummed sarcastically.

"Really? Hmm…looks like we're both going to be in hot water when we get home." Tyronne nodded gravely.

After walking the majority of the way down the next gleaming, white corridor, Tyronne and Professor Taylor came to a stop outside the doors of laboratory 57-12c.

"This is your lab?" Tyronne asked admiring the plaque hanging next to the doors etched with his father's name in gold letters.

"Yep. My selected prison but from within we help discover the unknown and break the boundaries of all realms of science," Professor Taylor said triumphantly.

Tyronne looked at his father and grinned, "You've been practising that line a lot haven't you. And how much do you get paid extra for saying that Pop?"

"Formalities Officer Taylor. Don't forget the formalities," Professor Taylor smirked as he input his cardkey and security code, "and just for the record…it's company policy. It's in the fine print." Tyronne chuckled lightly as the door slid open. He watched the professor stroll inside and wave to all the other lab coats in the vast white room.

"You coming in? The door's on a timer you know," Professor Taylor invited extending a friendly hand.

"Err…I probably shouldn't," Tyronne slurred hesitantly, "officers aren't supposed to get involved with or show interest in scientists' work."

"It's alright son, I'll vouch for you. You won't get into trouble," the professor offered.

"Whatever happened to 'keeping up the formalities' Professor?" Tyronne jested sarcastically.

"You're in my domain now kiddo so hoist your arse in here, pull up a chair and shut up," Professor Taylor snapped with a playful wink. With a shrug, Tyronne wandered into the lab.

"I can't disobey a direct order from a superior."

Stepping into the workroom, Tyronne was alarmed to realise that the lab's size was very poorly relative to what it appeared to be from the outside. The interior was huge. Every wall was laid with tall mainframes and super computer stations. Various other alien and inexplicable tools, machines and equipment lay strewn about the lab's many worktops and surfaces like a messy child's playroom.

"Whoa!" Tyronne gasped.

"Yep. That's pretty much the initial response we get from everyone that steps in here," a thin-haired, balding man smirked as he continued to tinker with a small robotic arm.

"This is incredible…like something out of a sci-fi movie or something…" Tyronne gaped as he admired the strange technologies on display around him.

"Yep. And that one normally follows too," a middle-aged technician said smiling through a rather bushy moustache.

"What is all this stuff?" Tyronne asked airily still lost in all the gadgets surrounding him.

"If we told ya, we'd have to kill ya!" an aging scientist snapped. Tyronne looked at the dumpy, old man. Unlike the other responses that sounded playful, this guy's statement didn't sound jesting at all.

"Don't mind Clements. He's sorta particular and partial to the old ways of working in a laboratory. He's not too fond of the younger generation either," Professor Taylor quickly said having read the shocked expression on Tyronne's face. The old scientist grumbled and slumped back into his corner and refused to acknowledge Tyronne's presence any more than necessary. Tyronne showed him the same courtesy by ignoring him as his father showed him a few of the prototypes of his team's work and their functions.

Having narrowly dodged a small machine that suddenly took off from the workbench and exploded in mid-air, Tyronne then spied a long, cylindrical, glass container with a strange black orb floating inside it.

"What's this thing?" he asked raising a finger to tap the glass.

"DON'T TOUCH IT YOU IDIOT! IT'S CHEMICALLY UNSOUND!" the old scientist named Clements erupted suddenly forcing Tyronne to snatch his hand away in fright.

"Aye, I wouldn't get too close to that if I were you laddie," a young, blond, Scottish accented man advised. Tyronne looked back at his dad as he walked over to the container.

"Yes. This is a very unstable material we obtained a little while ago," Professor Taylor said eyeing the strange black orb as it pulsed and rippled with a bizarre bolt of purple electricity, "we got a small sample of this from one of our many worldly expeditions to discover new artefacts. This was just one of a few we found that day. It's a fascinating substance with a number of unknown properties."

"Any idea what it's capable of?" Tyronne asked gazing sideways at his father's focused sight on the orb.

"Not a hundred percent, but we've uncovered a few of its secrets. It appears to be an untapped, unfocused energy source of some kind. It is highly unstable but we have been able to use it in some of our other projects we're working on," the professor explained.

"Other projects? Like what?" Tyronne asked eager to learn more.

"None of your damn business kid! Now GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE! Get out before I call the real security guards!" Clements shrieked shoving Tyronne away from the container, "you've seen and heard enough! If the director found out you're disclosing classified research with outsiders Taylor, you'll get us ALL fired!"

"Alright, alright Ted. Just calm down…" Professor Taylor pleaded.

"It's 'Theodore' damn you Stephen! I hate you giving me pet names like I'm your damn underling! Show some damn respect!" the old scientist huffed with bulging eyes.

"Okay…'Theodore'…I'm sorry. I'll show our young security officer the door and we'll get back to work," Professor Taylor said calmly as he ushered Tyronne to the lab exit.

"I have a right mind to report that hooligan for negligence of his duties!" Clements grunted pointing a skinny, bony finger at Tyronne.

"That won't be necessary Professor Clements. Now, I won't be a minute. I'll be back." With that, Professor Taylor and Tyronne moved out of the lab and the door slid shut behind them.

"Sheesh! What's that old codger's problem? Didn't take his meds today?" Tyronne scowled picking up his rifle.

"Ignore Clements. He's always like that. He wasn't very pleased that we got placed in the same team for most of our current projects. He's always seen me as some sort of a rival ever since college days. Everyone reckons he's jealous of my works when he claims he could have done it a thousand times better. He probably could and I welcome him to try. I've got nothing against him," the professor said matter-of-factly.

"If that were true, then why the hell hasn't he come up with anything better?" Tyronne snapped bitterly. The professor sniggered but he quickly cleared his throat to sound a bit more serious.

"He is right though; I have let slip a little more than I'm supposed to. This stays between us okay?"

"Sure thing. No problem Dad," Tyronne said with a smile. The professor then raised a precarious eyebrow.

"Oh, I mean. Affirmative Professor," Tyronne corrected snapping to attention and saluting.

"Good man. Now, you'd better get back to your post. I'll see you in a few hours okay?"

"Sure." Professor nodded and smiled as he watched Tyronne head back down the corridor.

"Oh…and Tyronne…" he then called. Tyronne turned around on hearing his name, "congratulations on graduating and being selected…I'm proud of you son." Tyronne smiled as he saw his father give him a quick wink before returning to his laboratory.

"Thanks Dad…" Tyronne whispered smiling as he turned back to face the way he was going and continued to march.


	7. Target Sighted

Chapter 6: Target Sighted

His four feet pounded the cold, damp, leaf-littered floor as Littlefoot sprinted for the exit of the Forest of Fear. Having just eavesdropped on three unidentifiable humans at Two Legs' Den deep with the forest's darken boundaries, he was now anxious to get back out into the Great Valley and tell just about anyone. He had to tell someone that he knew about the intruders and their malicious intents. The hushed conversation played over and over in his head like a faulty sound clip. 'A target to capture'…The easiest assumption to make was that these humans were planning to kidnap someone. Who exactly, Littlefoot had no idea but he refused to sit by idly and allow such an event to happen; not now he was consciously aware of it. Thin strips of light appeared through the compact rows of trees just ahead as Littlefoot charged onwards. He had since lost sight of the three mysterious humans but he was pretty sure he was ahead of them. The forest's perimeter was fast approaching. Littlefoot kicked off the leafy floor to add an extra spurt of speed to his lengthy strides as he leapt forwards and burst forth, out into the blinding rays of the morning sunlight. Littlefoot took a moment to catch his breath and to allow his eyes to adjust to the light's intensity.

As the glare slowly evaporated from his vision, Littlefoot scanned the grassy fields and mountainous horizon for any signs of life. Besides a small stegosaurus herd some ways off in the distance, Littlefoot couldn't see anyone. Still breathing heavy, Littlefoot frantically racked his mind as to what to do next. Who should he look for first?

"Cera!" he suddenly piped, "her nest is closest to here." Without having fully recovered, Littlefoot sped off across the meadow to the young, female threehorn's home ground.

"I just hope she's home…"

Cera, an orangey/hay toned triceratops with a single nose horn, happened to be at her home with her father and his newly found partner and good friend from a number of years back, Tria. Since the events with the Red Phoenix Corporation had past, Littlefoot and the gang had been on a recent adventure involving a group of miniature longnecks which led to the residents of the Great Valley on a Frankenstein-style hunt for the Tinysauruses. This was fuelled by a lie Littlefoot had told them in a panic when a sweet-blossoming tree was robbed of its flowers. Within these happenings, Tria entered the Great Valley and was reacquainted with her long lost friend. Thereafter, the invasion of the Tinysauruses, Tria became Topsy's (Cera's father) life long partner. Despite a few early upsets and discrepancies about her father pairing up with someone again, Cera and Tria quickly became friends and accepted Tria as a new part of her family. However, this had not softened her overwhelming sense of narcissism or her fiery temper but Littlefoot knew this was what made Cera 'Cera' and he wouldn't change it for the world.

Littlefoot stood at the peak of a grassy hill looking down on a clearing with a hollowed-out, semi-circle of a tree stump to the right side of the grounds. In the centre of the clearing, he saw Cera with her nose close to the ground as if to be searching for something.

"Cera!" Littlefoot called to her as he galloped down the hillside to confront the threehorn. Cera lifted her head up to the direction of the shout.

"Hi Cera," Littlefoot chirped.

"Uhh…hi Diddlefut," Cera mumbled. Littlefoot blinked, a little confused.

"Err…Cera? What's that in your mouth?" he asked precariously motioning to the large bundle of long sticks in her mouth.

"Nuffink…" Cera mumbled again before spitting the collection of twigs to one side, "Nothing…I'm helping Tria clear up our nesting ground. The big winds blew lots of stuff off the trees and they all landed on our home." Littlefoot nodded acknowledging. Tria was soon to be expecting a child of her own soon and had since constantly demanded that the nesting ground be kept clean and clear for when her egg finally arrives.

"Oh, Cera…I need to tell you something," Littlefoot then said, remembering what he'd come to see her about in the first place.

"Look, if this is about not cleaning our Friendship Stone yesterday, I told you, I had to come home to help my Dad with something," Cera butted in with a strong, defensive tone.

"No, no…it's not about that," Littlefoot assured her.

"Then what is it?"

"Humans!"

Cera looked at Littlefoot a little taken aback, "Humans?"

"Yeah! There are humans in the Valley!" Littlefoot said excitedly. Cera's expression turned quickly from shock and confused to a disapproving frown.

"Humans? In the Great Valley? Come on Littlefoot. Not this again. Do you remember what happened the last time you said humans were here?"

"I mean it this time, I saw…" Littlefoot began but Cera interrupted again.

"The last time you went around shouting that humans were in the Valley, you got all of us hunting up and down all over the place and even out into the Mysterious Beyond for absolutely no reason at all!"

"I know I was wrong then but I'm telling you! Humans are here now! They walking around the Valley and they're planning to capture someone," Littlefoot said urgently but Cera wasn't convinced.

"Well, if they're just 'walking around', then where are they?" she probed.

"T-they were over by Two Legs Den in the Forest of Fear, I followed them in there," Littlefoot explained. Just talking about it was making him anxious and jittery,

"Two Legs' Den? But there's nothing there anymore. If humans were here, why would they go back there?" Cera argued.

"I…I don't know…but they were there!"

"So where are they now?"

Littlefoot paused and broke eye contact with a drop of his head, "I…I…I don't know…"

"Look Littlefoot. We got into a whole heap of trouble the last time we mentioned to the grown-ups about humans being here."

"But Cera…" Littlefoot interjected but Cera continued regardless,

"After that mess, I was put on babysitting duty for five nights looking after those crazy Threehorn Twins…and now they're bigger, they've become an even BIGGER PAIN to look after!"

"Cera I swear it! I'm not making this up!" Littlefoot exclaimed helplessly.

"Yeah right. You're not getting me in trouble again with stories like that Littlefoot," Cera snorted.

"Cera! I'm telling the truth! Humans really ARE here!" Littlefoot shouted now close to losing his temper. He knew Cera was stubborn but she was being even more ignorant than normal today.

"Will you keep it down! My dad will go nuts if he hears me talking about humans again," Cera hissed glancing behind her to see if her father had caught wind was their conversation. Fortunately, he was over the far side of the grounds with his back to them and stood beside Tria.

"C'mon Cera…you gotta believe me this time," Littlefoot pleaded but Cera simply sighed.

"I'd like to Littlefoot but I just can't after last time." The two of them broke eye contact a second time as they turned from each other in an awkward silence.

"You know. After all this, and what you're saying now, I'm starting to think that you just WANT them to be back," Cera then said determined to have the last say. Littlefoot was dumbstruck. He couldn't believe what she had just said to him. Littlefoot lurched forwards as if to step up to the argument but stopped at his first step. As the words sunk in, he realised that there was a potent truth to what Cera had just said. Dipping his head, he gazed into the red gem that hung on the end of the gold chain of his pendent dangling around his neck. It was true and it stung like a sharp prod to his gut. Suddenly shaking himself out of his trance, Littlefoot regained his composure and glared at Cera as she slowly walked away. He knew what he saw and Cera clearly wasn't having any of it.

"Well fine. I'm telling you humans are here but if you don't want to believe me then that's your choice," Littlefoot huffed with a frown.

"And that's the choice I stand by. I'll believe it when I see it," Cera shot back still wanting that final word. The pair of them locked eyes again for a moment trying to psyche the other out but their gazes were broken by Cera's father calling for his daughter from across the way.

"I gotta go. I'll have to see you later okay?" Cera said with a slightly softer tone.

"Sure okay," Littlefoot said flatly. Her words were still stinging in his chest as he watched Cera turn and quickly move over to her father.

Having finally mustered enough power to block out Cera's tormenting statement, Littlefoot looked the other way. He obviously wasn't going to get any support from Cera and he was in no mood to be tested any further by her characterising stubbornness. Realising he was now staring off into space, Littlefoot, with a quick shake of his head, decided to move on. The next nearest friends he could think of were Ducky and Spike.

"_They'll be by the watering hole by now,_" Littlefoot thought as he climbed the same hill he'd entered from to double back on himself.

As he'd expected, Ducky (a little, green saurolophus) and Spike (the adopted, stegosaurus brother to Ducky whose sheer physical size for a juvenile was outmatch only by his enormous appetite for anything green and leafy) were at the watering hole. Littlefoot poked his head through the bushes of a berry-bearing plant to survey the landscape. The watering hole, in Littlefoot's opinion, was one of the most beautiful spots in the Great Valley. A crystal clear lake that sat at the foot of a majestic waterfall which towered over even the tallest of longnecks. The cooling waters shimmered like diamonds where the sun hit the rippling lake surface. All this was enclosed by high canopied trees that lined the grassy banks for those who wished to shelter from the blazing, golden rays of the midday sunshine. Having taken in this wondrous view once again, Littlefoot then spotted a small group of swimmers splashing about on the far side of the pool.

"_There're some swimmers,_" Littlefoot thought as he squinted to try and make out one particular member from the group, "_…but…I don't see Ducky._"

Just as he was about to move forwards to get a closer look, Littlefoot saw something approach him from out of the corner of his right eye. It moved so quickly, he hardly had time to realise what it was but before he knew it, a vice-like, crushing pressure clamped down on the end of his nose.

"Yeow! Oww!" Littlefoot squealed flinching from the bizarre attack. Simultaneous to him lurching backwards, a grunting figure tumbled in the opposite direction with a panicked whine.

"What is going on? What is happening?" a squeaky voice piped up suddenly.

"Oh…Hi Ducky…" Littlefoot said rubbing the end of his throbbing nose with his right front foot.

"Littlefoot? It is you?!" Ducky asked bewildered, "what were you doing in that plant?"

"Looking for you actually," Littlefoot replied wiggling his nose as the pain slowly subsided, "I was looking through this bush when, I guess, Spike bit me on the nose."

Ducky turned to her muted, spiketail sibling Spike who was sat down and still slightly shaken by the ordeal, "Spike? You bited Littlefoot on his nose?" she asked. Spike hummed guilty and recoiled his head in shame.

"It's okay Spike. I shouldn't have been standing there anyway. It's my fault," Littlefoot said with a laugh. Spike's sorrowful expression quickly stretched into a gratified smile as he stood up and licked the front of Littlefoot's nose affectionately. Littlefoot giggled as he wiped his face clean again.

"Well, I am glad that no one is hurted too badly. I would not like it if my friends ever got hurt. Oh no, no, no," Ducky said thoughtfully. Her tone was always light-hearted, caring and meaningful and her lack of colloquial slurring and careful use of vocabulary gave her a very cutesy yet greatly respectable personality.

"So what was it that you wanted to see us about Littlefoot?" Ducky then asked. Just as Littlefoot was about to open his mouth to speak, a loud screeching echoed from overhead. Spike let out a joyful hum towards the sky in response to the sound.

"Oh lookie!" Ducky said excitedly pointing up. Littlefoot, a little annoyed by yet another interruption, followed Ducky's extended finger skywards. Hovering over the opening in the trees, a series of shadows; one large and several smaller ones, all of similar sizes, blotted out the sun.

"It is Petrie and his family," Ducky announced happily, "and there is Petrie!"

Making their descent into the area was a group of pteranodons of various colours. One by one they dropped to the ground, but the final young pteranodon dropped in at an awkward angle and dived directly onto one of the other juvenile flyers.

"Hey! Watch it Petrie! That's the third time you've done that to me today!" the squashed flyer child snapped to her sibling sitting on top of her.

"Oops! Me sorry," Petrie apologised as he hopped up off his sister. The sister brushed herself off and huffed in annoyance.

"You better not do anything like that when it's our turn for the Day of the Flyers," the stroppy sibling barked as she stormed off.

"Oh! No worry! Me won't!" Petrie shouted trying to sound as convincing as he could but his sister failed to acknowledge. Petrie sighed as his family group dispersed but he was startled by a sudden shout of his name.

"Petrie!" Ducky called merrily running up to him with her arms outstretched clamping him in tight hug.

"Oh…hi…Ducky…" Petrie quacked feeling Ducky's impressive grip squeeze all the air out of him. In relative size, Petrie and Ducky were about the same height (although everyone knew Ducky was slightly taller). Out of the gang of five, Petrie was the most skittish. Everything made him nervous especially when he was out adventuring with his friends. Although he maybe the first to flee, whenever it came to the crunch, Petrie always found the courage to come through for those he cared about.

"Hi Petrie," Littlefoot greeting with a warm smile.

"Oh hi Littlefoot," Petrie gagged still slightly winded.

"I saw you practising this morning with your brothers and sisters, I did," Ducky said releasing Petrie from her choking hug.

"Oh yeah. Mama got us practising flying patterns for when we do the Day of the Flyer soon," Petrie said finally able to take a breath, "me no so good at the moment but me will get better."

"Oh I know you will Petrie, yep, yep, yep!" Ducky agreed.

"Oh hey! Since you're here now too Petrie, I can tell you what I was going to tell Ducky and Spike," Littlefoot suddenly cut in.

"Okay, what you wanna say?" Petrie asked now turning his attention to Littlefoot.

"Yes Littlefoot. We're listening, we are," Ducky said.

"Okay," Littlefoot started but he quickly snapped his head left and then right as if to scan the area, then in a low voice, he whispered to his friends.

"I saw humans here in the Great Valley."

"HUMANS?!" Petrie suddenly exploded at the top of his voice.

"Shhh! Petrie! Keep it down," Littlefoot hissed in panic glancing at the surrounding dinosaurs but thankfully, no one responded to Petrie's sudden outburst.

"Oh me sorry," Petrie said sheepishly pinching his beak together.

"You said humans are here Littlefoot?" Ducky asked quietly.

"Yeah, I saw them over by Two Leg's Den after I followed them from the giant shiny circle up by the Great Wall," Littlefoot explained still speaking lowly.

"But wait. Last time you say humans in Great Valley we no find humans," Petrie then said objectively. Littlefoot was afraid that argument was going to surface again but he tried to carry on regardless,

"I know I wrong then but I promise you, I'm telling the truth this time. I saw them with my own eyes."

"Was it our friends? It has been so long since we saw them," Ducky asked hopefully but Littlefoot shook head.

"I'm afraid not Ducky. I did not recognise anyone of them," Littlefoot said regretfully.

"Well, if they are not our human friends, then who are they?" Ducky pondered.

"Again, I don't know but I don't think these humans are friendly."

"Not….friendly?!" Petrie gulped.

"No. I overheard them talking when they were at Two Legs' Den. They said they have a target to capture," Littlefoot said darkly.

"A target to capture? What does that mean?" Ducky asked apprehensively.

"I think they are going to kidnap someone…" Littlefoot continued.

"K…k-k…kid-nap?" Petrie stammered. He was started to look nervous.

"They are going to take someone away?" Ducky asked fearfully and Spike hummed anxiously.

"That's what I think anyway," Littlefoot nodded.

"But who?"

"I don't know but we've got to find them and stop them."

Suddenly, Ducky, Petrie and Spike fell silent and they looked at each other.

"Me no so sure that such a good idea," Petrie then said nervously.

"Why not?" Littlefoot asked taken aback.

"If humans nasty humans, then they might try hurt us," Petrie said.

"They won't hurt us if we don't let them see us," Littlefoot reassured.

"But how will we find them?" Ducky asked.

"We'll have to search for them."

"And what if humans have those shiny sticks that throw out fire?" Petrie cawed with greater anxiety, "me 'member what those do…"

"Oh I do not want that to happen…no, no, no!" Ducky cried despairingly. Spike shook his head sharply. Littlefoot felt he was fighting a losing battle convincing his friends to help him find the elusive humans. What's more was that the commotion was starting to draw attention. Concerned that their conversation was going to cause alarm, Littlefoot felt they had to continue their discussion elsewhere.

"We can't talk about this here," Littlefoot whispered.

"Me no think we should talk about this EVER!" Petrie added unhelpfully.

"How about we talk about it over at our place? At Friendship Circle? You guys can decide what you wanna do once we've finished there," Littlefoot suggested.

"Me no know…." Petrie slurred before glancing at Ducky and Spike.

"I do not know either," Ducky replied with her head resting in her hand. Littlefoot sighed fearing that he's pleas were falling on deaf ears but then, Ducky continued,

"I am still not sure about all this…but I will go to Friendship Circle with you to talk about it, yep, yep, yep."

Littlefoot smiled. It wasn't exactly the response he had been hoping for but it was a convincing start at least, "Well, that's okay. We can talk about it once we get there." Littlefoot turned towards the exit and took a few steps to lead the way.

"C'mon, let's get going."

"Oh wait. We cannot go just yet. No, no, no," Ducky then said.

"Why not?" Littlefoot huffed in frustration.

"Mama wanted to talk to Mrs Mia about something and Mama said she wanted me and Spike to stay here while she is talking," Ducky said. Spike nodded and hummed in verification.

"Me gotta wait with me family too. Mama wanna show me and me brothers and sisters ideas for flying patterns," Petrie pitched in before anyone else could say anything. Littlefoot let out a defeated sigh. He'd wanted to deal with this human invasion matter as soon as possible but he had no choice but to bend to the orders of his friends' families' requests.

"Alright. I will head there now and wait for you," Littlefoot said as he began to head off.

"Okay Littlefoot. We will also bring Cera with us when we come, we will," Ducky chirped as she and Spike began heading in the opposite direction towards the water. Littlefoot thanked her and then bid them all farewell as he slowly made his way over to their little hideaway deep in the Great Valley woodland.

Since they had found the little glade all that time ago, Littlefoot and his friends had cherished their secluded as a little piece of the Great Valley they could truly call their own. The spot was a sheltered copse at the very heart of the dense woodland that many longnecks and other tall dinosaur adults found difficult to access due to the sheer mass of thick-trunked trees. The glade was always decorated with a colourful spectrum of flowers and sweet smelling blossoms that perfumed the breeze that gently meandered its way through the trees and in between the rays of sunlight that penetrated the leafy canopy. Littlefoot had just entered the woods and was following the mental map he had dedicated to memory through the pathless tress and surrounding shrubs. The entire day seemed a little unreal since he had first seen the three strange human entities. Also, the fact that his friends were very wary of the subject considering the embarrassing mistake he had made last time. He could understand why they'd be apprehensive about pursuing the same rumour a second time but he had hoped they'd have possibly been a little more trusting of him.

As the journey allowed his mind to wander, his thoughts soon took root on Cera's statement of wishing the humans had returned. Although it made him mad, the more Littlefoot thought about it, the more the half-truth he had initially perceived it to be was manifesting as a total-truth. It was true. He DID miss his human friends…one in particular…and he did want them back. Littlefoot sighed as he made his way through the penultimate row of bushes before he came to Friendship Circle. With his current train of thought, all he fancied doing at that moment, before his friends arrived, was to gaze into the stone carving portrait of them all and reminisce on those days since gone.

On his approach, Littlefoot then was alarmed to hear voices coming from nearby. He ducked low for a moment to try and locate the source of the sound. The voices were muffled through the dense undergrowth but Littlefoot was sure he was tracking them from directly in front of him.

"_But…that's where Friendship Circle is…_" Littlefoot told himself mentally, "_but…no one else knows about our place besides my friends…_" The idea began to worry Littlefoot a little. Who else could know about their little hideaway? The only other two who knew were the gang's migrating longneck friend, Ali (who was still on her migration path) and Jason, the one who made the carving.

"_But Jason's not here…is he?_" Littlefoot pondered. He felt very unsettled. An excited anxiety coursed through Littlefoot's nerves making his skin tingle unpleasantly. Still, his curiosity drove him to stalk up to the final row of hedges that divided their personal glade from the rest of the woods. The voices from there became much clearer.

"I don't believe it! This is it!" one voice cried joyfully.

"Don't wet yourself man. It's only a damn stone," a second voice scoffed pathetically.

"This is not just a stone. This is THE stone; the one we need," the first man squealed overzealously.

"Just run the verification scan so we can move on," a third gruff voice ordered. Littlefoot, having crept as close as he could to the perimeter, carefully peered over the hedge to look into the sheltered enclosure. A short, gasping breath escaped Littlefoot's throat when he saw three bipedal creatures stood with their backs to him, at the top end of the copse all examining their sculpture.

"The three humans from before," Littlefoot whispered to himself, "I wonder what they're doing here?"

From his ducked position behind the bordering hedges, Littlefoot continued to look on as the humans crouching next to the stone carving stood up all of a sudden.

"Scanning complete. Data verified and logged. It's the one we're after as I said before," the first human reported.

"So, it IS all part of the legend…" the burly, third man said lowly.

"What now sir?" the second human said standing to attention before his superior.

"Move to final objective," the third man said authoritively, "secure the target and we can head for home. We'll have to be quick since energy readings for the timedoor are running low."

"But how the hell will we be able to tell which one is the right one?" the second man argued.

"According to the chronicle entry, the target is actually very distinguishable. If you look here…"

Littlefoot found that the humans were now talking at too low a pitch to eavesdrop anymore. Carefully, Littlefoot edged his way into the hedge so he could listen in again. Suddenly, Littlefoot felt his left front foot snag on something. Catching him in mid-stride, Littlefoot tripped on an exposed root, stumbled forwards and landed flat on his face out in the middle of the clearing. The three humans whirled around weapons drawn. Littlefoot gasped as he saw the burning eyes of the humans boring into his own. He was frozen with fright as the humans looked down on his fallen position.

"Hey, ain't that the dinosaur who was stalking us earlier?" the second man said lowering his firearm slowly.

"Dunno, they all look alike to me," the third man replied also dropping his rifle. Littlefoot was still stuck to the ground, too afraid to move but as he saw the humans' aggressive stances slacken, he felt life flow into his rigid muscles. Just as Littlefoot found his feet again, a short interval bleeping suddenly rang out.

"Sir!" the first, excitable human exclaimed passing the leader a small device that Littlefoot did not recognise. The two humans mumbled to each other whilst looking at the device as Littlefoot stood before them a little perplexed as well as scared. Suddenly, the leading human's eyes snapped up to Littlefoot. The gaze was so quick and powerful it made Littlefoot flinch. The stare was icy like a predator catching eyes with its prey and it was making Littlefoot feel very uncomfortable.

"Mission objective update," the leading human then said into a small computer device on his left arm just loud enough for Littlefoot to hear, "Target sighted. Proceeding with capture."

Littlefoot's eyes grew wide with fear as he watched the device exchange hands from the leader to the human just behind him. Littlefoot stared on as we then watched all three humans slowly raise their weapons direct at him again. His mind blanked as panic settled in. HE was the humans' target! They were going to kidnap HIM! He had followed them all that time, heard of their plans and yet he was their 'target to capture'.

"Mission objective acknowledged. Apprehend the target for immediate extraction. Tactical protocol gamma in operation," the leading human barked to his team.

"Yes sir!" the two other humans replied.

Suddenly, a voice screamed in Littlefoot's head. It told him one very clear instruction…

RUN!

A hot flush of adrenaline surged through Littlefoot's body and before he had thought it through, Littlefoot turned and dashed through the bushes. A few shots rang out and tore blindly through the leaves of the surrounding foliage.

"Damn! AFTER HIM!" the leader screamed to his team. The two other humans kicked off the grassy ground as the leader spoke into his wrist computer unit again, "Mission log update. Currently in pursuit! Repeat! Target has fled and we are in pursuit!" With his log finished, he gripped his rifle a little tighter and jumped through the bushes to catch up with the chase.


	8. A Critical Level Development

Chapter 7: A Critical Level Development

Dateline: 18th April 327 N.E; Time 20:09

The infiltration of the Morland Laboratories had, so far, failed to produce any fruitful results for the Black Ghost. Having managed to slip into the research department undetected, he swiftly and silently moved from one research lab to the next, raiding the rooms for just about anything useful. So far, there hadn't been a shred of helpful information regarding the location of his target. Crossing a connection bridge from one building to a taller one, the Black Ghost continued his search. The patrolling guards were few and far between in these areas and the Black Ghost had little difficulty manoeuvring around them when they had their backs turns. It was like playing hide and seek only with more serious consequences for been spotted. Besides the guards, the only other personnel he had to be wary of were the lab's scientists. With all the technicians and scientists scurrying about in their white coats, a man running about in a hood and flowing black, full-length coat would look slightly suspicious.

Ducking behind a tall machine left to gather dust in the corridor, the Black Ghost allowed two male scientists to walk by him; they were engaged in too deep of a conversation to notice. From his crouched position, the Black Ghost pulled back the sleeve on his left arm to reveal an LCD digital watch which read "20:12". With his pre-planned escape route due to seal itself shut in eleven minutes, the Black Ghost knew he had to step up his hunt. Time was running short.

Having searched another couple of empty labs, which again provided no useful intel, the Black Ghost quickly made his way down the deserted halls. Approaching a T-junction, the Black Ghost suddenly stopped and dove back around the corner he had just emerged from as two scientists exited a small laboratory across the way. The Black Ghost flattened himself against the wall as the two men chattered to each other excitedly.

"Did you see those exam results? This has to be the one we've been looking for!" a young, auburn, mop-topped scientist exclaimed.

"No kidding. The energy readings were off the scale; completely disproving our previous theories and simulations. That new artefact is an anomaly alright," the second scientist replied who appeared to be slightly older.

"Reckon it's test worthy yet? I've got a doozy of a protocol to run with it provided the practical ideologies work out," the young scientist piped hyperactively.

"Whoa, cool your jets Edd! We need proper clearance before we can take any extreme measures with our new sample," the older man chuckled resting a hand on his colleague's shoulder. The two men strolled past the corridor where the Black Ghost was perched. With a quick glance behind him, the cloaked intruder switched from the left wall to the opposite one to continue listening in on the conversation. Perhaps they were talking about the very item he was after.

"So what's the next step?" the naïve scientist asked.

"First, a coffee break. If I don't get my caffeine fix I'm gonna pass out on my terminal. After that, we need to rally up with Alan and Jon in E-26," the older scientist said yawning.

"What about the datastreams and the artefact?"

"It's been locked away in the containment chamber room in B-8. As for the datastreams, they're being logged automatically and'll be transferred to the database room in B-17." Finally, some useful information. The Black Ghost now had a heading. As the two scientists slowly moved out of earshot, the Black Ghost took off in the opposite direction.

It didn't take the Black Ghost very long to locate one of the two mentioned rooms. He stood perched opposite a set of automatic double doors of pure white with the symbols "B-17" patched on the right hand door in giant, blocky letters. Eyeing the doors from across the hall, the Black Ghost surveyed the datastream room's area from signs of movement. With the coast clear, he edged up to the large rectangular entrance. On his approach, the Black Ghost stopped mere inches from the doors as they did not open as he came within range of the unlocking sensor. A quick glance to the left revealed the answer. Another keycard reader hung on the wall, hungry for an I.D card. Being an area of probable highly-sensitive information, it wasn't surprising that this particular laboratory offered restricted access. The transit driver's I.D would prove little use seeing as it had already failed to allow the Black Ghost passage into the research facility from the storage hangers. A forced entry was not possible since there were no windows in which to break through. Obviously, certain eyes were never meant to see exactly what was recorded on the machines within the room.

The Black Ghost stood contemplating his options when the card reader suddenly blipped and the green access lamp on the console illuminated. The Black Ghost jetted to one side as the doors pulled apart allowing a blond, freckled male scientist and his fiery haired partner to exit the datastream room.

"Tch. I wish Rick and Edd would damn well finish off what they start!" the blond man tutted in annoyance, "I mean, how hard can it be to verify the data transfer before they decide to bugger off to play with something else?"

"Forget about it Jon, the data is receiving now and will be logged and encrypted long before the head of department finds out," the ginger scientist said reassuringly with an uncharacteristically high-pitched, stuffy voice as they stepped through the doorway.

"Guess so. C'mon, we're supposed to be meeting them in B-26 now."

"B-26? I thought it was C-22?"

"C-22? You sure? That's over the other side of the complex."

"Of course I'm sure. I'm never wrong!"

The ginger scientist rolled his eyes, "Never wrong huh? Like that time you were SURE those two inert compounds wouldn't self-destruct if combined?"

"That wasn't MY fault! The bottles weren't marked! Besides, I walked away from that without injury."

"You detonated half of D-wing and put yourself in a coma for three weeks!"

"Did I? I don't remember that! I think I'd remember something like that!" The ginger man huffed in frustration and walked off as the blond scientist strolled behind him deep in personal thought, allowing the automatic doors to slide shut behind him.

Having managed to slip between the closing doors, the Black Ghost scanned his new environment. The datastream room was a bare-walled space tightly packed with numerous mainframes that stood over eight feet tall. Given the immaculate state of the other smaller labs, this room was disgustingly unorganised. The stations, generators and mainframes were dotted about in random locations around the room; all interconnected by a tangled web of cables and wires of a rainbow assortment of colours. In amongst this entropic gabble was a huge computer terminal at the far end of the room that resembled something seen in a super villain's secret hideout. The console stood proud and tall, feeding on the streams of data and information coursing through the multitude of wires plugged into it like lifeblood through living veins. The Black Ghost wandered deeper into the crowded room of inanimate machines, he smiled inwardly. An area of such delicate information was before him and hardly a posted guard or a surveillance camera for him to contend with. No challenge for him whatsoever. Still, with objective in mind, he approached the supersized console.

The extra large screen flashed and flickered at staggered intervals as the processing data uploaded and logged on an automatic interface. The Black Ghost gazed at the screenshots of various objects and artefacts as they came and went with every successful data transfer. So far, everything that had flashed up was of little interest to him. Then, just as a diagram of a bizarre vehicle past the screen, details of a specific item emerged, grabbing the intruder's attention instantly. As the upload progression bar slowly inched its way to the one hundred percent marker, the Black Ghost scanned the information on the screen regarding a strange stone with unusual properties. The Black Ghost leant against the terminal's keyboard as he took it all in. Could this be what he was looking for? The data onscreen did not offer a picture of the artefact but the descriptive prose that accompanied a three dimensional, molecular structure model seemed to fit the description. Eventually, the progress bar filled its given space and the screen flicked to another item of lesser interest.

With his newly acquired knowledge, the Black Ghost nodded in satisfaction as he turned to head for the automatic doors. As he'd recalled, the artefact was in a containment chamber in laboratory "B-8". Stepping to the exit, the Black Ghost froze as the doors slid apart far too early for him to have activated them himself. The doors cleared the way to reveal a balding man tapping away on a PDA. With his nose buried so deep into his handheld computer, the scientist failed to realise that the hooded infiltrator was stood before him as the door closed behind him.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the scientist said as he bumped into him. Finally taking his eyes off the pocket machine, the scientist glanced up to stare into the void where the Black Ghost's face should have been.

"No problem at all," the Black Ghost said coolly as he read the startled and fearfully expression now pasted on the scientist's face. Before a sound could utter from the bald man's hanging mouth, the Black Ghost snapped a lightning fast punch which connected heavily with the panicked man's forehead. The man flew backwards and collided with the closed doors before slamming, face down, on the cold tiled floor. The Black Ghost dragged the unconscious scientist to one of the mainframes and shoved him ungracefully between the wall and the machine, out of sight. Dusting off his gloves, the Black Ghost headed for the containment rooms.

Laboratory B-8 was a large room located at the far end of the corridor. The door was inset into the wall allowing a small tunnel to ensure that only a single filed line could pass through at any given time. Similar to the datastream room, there were no windows to peer through but unlike the datastream room, this one happened to be protected by a biometric lock rather than a keycard reader. Deception was not an optional entry method this time around and the area was sure to be more active than the other labs. Only a select few were granted passage into this laboratory and the hand scanning pad was the only one who knew exactly who could enter. The single door slid open allowing a male scientist to exit the containment room and quickly shut again behind him. The scientist strolled down the narrow passageway to the main building but he turned in response to a sound like a flag or heavy cloth flapping in the wind. With no time to react, the scientist briefly saw a black cloth descend upon him from the ceiling and quickly swamped him. Having silently subdued the unfortunate man, the Black Ghost dragged the flaccid scientist back the way he came, back to the biometric lock. Placing a limp hand on the scanner, the console clicked and blipped, as the computer verified the patterns on the man's palm and fingertips. The green lamp flashed on and the door flew open in a split second.

The Black Ghost strolled into the room to confront two more scientists who were examining their computer terminal before looking up at him.

"Who are you?" a podgy man snapped. The Black Ghost didn't reply. He simply gripped his previous victim by the foot and, with a spinning swing, he launched the unconscious man at the approaching scientist. The two bodies collided and both men hit the floor hard. The second scientist panicked as he witnessed his partner out cold underneath his other colleague the Black Ghost had just used as a projectile.

"S-s…SECURITY!" he yelled, sprinting in the opposite direction. The Black Ghost walked into the room as the hysterical scientist continued to run and scream. Drawing level with the computer terminals, the Black Ghost stopped as the ranting man turned and made a desperate dash for the now cleared doorway, still screaming for security. Glancing down, the Black Ghost placed a foot on one of the chairs that was by the terminal and gave it a kick. The wheels squeaked painfully as the chair shot across the floor and tangled itself in the fleeing scientist's legs, tripping him over. In his desperate bid to escape, the man flailed as his feet were swept from beneath him. In his flight, the man smashed headfirst into the wall with a great force that rendered him another unconscious victim. Content that the room was now secure, the Black Ghost examined his surroundings. The room was fairly large but was deliberately shrunk by various metal tubes jutting out of the ground. These were obviously the containment pods that housed the sensitive artefacts but there did not seem to be any controls nearby to open them. Then, a blip on the computer terminal caught the Black Ghost's attention. Turning to the small screen embedded in the workstation, the terminal showed a series of numbered rectangles either coloured red, green or grey; all labelled with various names underneath. Quickly understanding the simple interface, the Black Ghost tapped the screen on the green pod number four simply labelled "Energy Stone".

Out in the room, containment pod four suddenly moved up out from the ground. Moving from the terminal, the Black Ghost wandered over to the activated pod as its glass section emerged from underground and pulled up to eye level. The Black Ghost stood staring at a lump of rock on a transparent platform.

"That's…not it…" the Black Ghost said to himself in a husky tone of disappointment.

"Not what you're looking for?" a drooling voice suddenly emanated from behind the Black Ghost. The Black Ghost didn't flinch yet the voice was one he'd come to know all too well. He'd recognise it anywhere as it continued its dragging tone.

"It's such a shame when you come out looking for something and it's just not quite what you'd expect. Especially when you've been looking for it for such a long time." The Black Ghost remained unmoving and silent as he heard footsteps echo in the enclosed room.

"Quite an eventful night you've planned for yourself Ghost. Breaking and entering, grievous bodily harm on numerous counts, infiltration, espionage and potential thievery. Nice achievements. A pity you never pencilled me into your busy schedule. How many artefacts have you sought after always to be bitterly disappointed to realise it's not the right one?"

The Black Ghost lowered his head, "You should know the answer to that one. Seeing as every tome I find one and become 'bitterly disappointed', you're always seem to be right behind me. Isn't that right…Zeiger?"

"True…very true. But hey, you know I can't resist an open invitation; and I always did prefer to show up fashionably late."

The Black Ghost turned finally to face the owner of the drooling voice. Stood in the doorway was what looked like a man, but his features did not resemble that of a normal human being. His muscular body was completely jet-black with bizarre red symbols of some alien language tattooed on random parts of him. His fingers were strangely elongated, tipped with sharp, predatory claws. His face looked human except for a head of slim-lined tentacles substituting his hair and a pair of glaring yellow eyes that supported serpent-like irises. Standing at a height just a little taller than the Black Ghost, this entity was evidently not of this world as he stood, arms folded and wearing a sly, playful grin.

"An impressive number of victims tonight. I must say I've always admired your handy work for weak game. What's your score now?" Zeiger jested.

"I wouldn't know. Unlike, I see no joy in the mindless slaughtering helpless people for the sake of pleasure," the Black Ghost fired back, his tone deadly serious.

"I'm just helping along the inevitable, but for the record, I seek no pleasure in small time kills. I'm no thug…I consider myself to be more of…a warrior."

"A warrior?" the Black Ghost spat, "a warrior does not justify the killing of humans as a means of enjoyment! You are too despicable to be considered a warrior. Barbarian would be a more fitting title for your heinous ways. Only a barbarian murders defenceless people; a warrior seeks bout with one of similar skill only to better himself."

"Then, consider me a hybrid of the two. The best of both worlds. The honour of a warrior that feels the thrill and brute force of a barbarian," Zeiger said throwing his arms out, basking in his own glory before pointing that the Black Ghost, "well, you should know, being a member of our clan, Ghost."

"I…am NOT…part of your clan…" The Black Ghost said slow and dangerous as he eyed Zeiger's extended finger.

"Meh, if you say so. But if that were true…why do you insist on wearing that coat? Too shy to show your true colours? And why black I wonder? More of a natural shade for you?" Zeiger said with a snigger. The Black Ghost remained silent.

Suddenly, a grunting caught the attention of the two of them. The scientist that had tripped over the chair had come to and was staggering to his feet. The disorientated man then looked up at the black creature and let out a fearful cry. In a split second, Zeiger lifted his knee, hitting the wailing man in the face. The scientist toppled backwards onto his back where Zeiger stepped up to him. Gazing down on the fallen man, Zeiger reached his hand up into the air where a dark, shadowy flame suddenly ignited in his palm. As the flame quickly faded, a long, thick-bladed sword materialised in his hand. Rolling the sword in his hand, Zeiger angled the blade down to the ground and, without a second thought, plunged the sword into the fallen man's abdomen.

"NO!" the Black Ghost shouted throwing his hand out to stop him but Zeiger merely snickered, eyeing him sideways.

"Pathetic fool," Zeiger scoffed twisting the blade in the wounded man as he lurched up before collapsing and lying completely still. The Black Ghost clenched his fist and squeezed it tight as he looked at the impaled victim.

"Why the hell did you do that?! He was defenceless! A HARMLESS CIVILIAN!" he screamed enraged.

"Humph…well. That's one less human for you to worry about now isn't it?" Zeiger snorted smiling slyly.

The Black Ghost let out an angry roar and charged at Zeiger as he stood over his victim like a hunter posing over a claimed bounty. Running forwards, the Black Ghost reached inside his coat and withdrew a sword of his own and held it out to his right hand side. Zeiger remained in the same position but smirked, flashing his vampire-like teeth as the Black Ghost came within striking distance. The Black Ghost drew his sword up to slash up and across Zeiger's abdomen, Zeiger hopped backwards allowing the attacking blade's tip to pass mere inches from his stomach. Moving with the swing, the Black Ghost spun with the overthrow, clasped his weapon with his second hand and, as his turn finished, pulled the sword diagonally down through the air. With his hand still on the handle of his own weapon, Zeiger jumped to his right. Resting his hand on the end of the sword's handle, Zeiger cartwheeled up and over his embedded weapon and out of range of the attack. His black feet touched the cold floor, one after the other, Zeiger slid his hand down the length of the handle and with a mighty tug, tore the blade out from his victim's torso, just before the Black Ghost came at him with a helm splitting vertical swing. Zeiger threw his sword up longways over his head as the blow came crashing down upon him. Reinforcing his guard with his free hand pressed against his blade, Zeiger looked up at the Black Ghost and laughed aloud.

"So you wanna duke it out huh? Fine by me."

The Black Ghost struggled to force down through Zeiger's guard but he couldn't break it. Then, he felt his strength dwindling as Zeiger stood up and pushed back. Once both swordsmen reached standing, their weapons locked in a grapple, Zeiger smirked as he gazed into the space where the Black Ghost's face dwelled.

"If I knew it was that easy to get your flared up to fight me, I'd've done this a long time ago," he drooled with an evil smile. The Black Ghost didn't reply; he remained focused on his wrestling weapon.

"This should be interesting…" Zeiger then said, his smile widening. Suddenly, Zeiger's reptilian, yellowish eyes glazed over with a red mist that swallowed his pupils and irises. With a deep roar, Zeiger forced his sword upwards, throwing the grapple into the air where the two weapons disconnected. The Black Ghost readied himself as Zeiger approached on a full frontal assault.

With a lunging step, Zeiger slashed at his target crazily. The Black Ghost effortlessly ducked and dodged the mad combo but without any sign of Zeiger relenting, it would only he a matter of time before he was struck. Arching backwards to avoid a decapitating slice, the Black Ghost rolled upright and parried the following swing throwing Zeiger's attack back the way it came. Finally, with an opening, the Black Ghost thrust his sword forward to plunge it into the left side of Zeiger's chest. The attack fell short as Zeiger dropped and swung his left shoulder behind him, avoiding the fatal stab. Zeiger flicked his weapon hand up, clashing with the Black Ghost's follow-up attack to prevent it from hitting its mark. The two fighters were engaged in a tense battle of swings, dodges, parries and counterattacks. Sparks flew from the clashing weapons as one fought to fell the other entity. Zeiger smiled devilishly as the Black Ghost came at him with a high overhead swing. He caught the incoming sword with his own, giving both fighters enough time to glare at each other momentarily. Then, with a sharp push, Zeiger threw the Black Ghost backwards to allow for some personal space. The Black Ghost stumbled with the shove but was ready for the next swing. However, the expected sword didn't arrive.

Glancing up, the Black Ghost watched Zeiger throw his unarmed hand up exposing the flat of his dark palm and spreading his unnaturally long fingers. There was a large gust of wind which distorted and rippled the visible space around his hand. The Black Ghost felt a heavy, invisible force hit him head on, sending him reeling into the air. Dazed at first, the Black Ghost quickly regained his senses. From his horizontal, airborne position, the Black Ghost looked up to see the marble wall fast approaching. Controlling his flight, he pulled his legs over his head, completing a half rotation in just a knick of time to plant his feet into the wall, bending his knees to absorb the force of his speedy flight. The Black Ghost felt gravity reapplying its pull on him as he dropped to the floor. As he feet touched the ground, the Black Ghost soon realised that he was now unarmed. His sword lay useless next to the dead scientist by the exit. A roaring warcry snatched the Black Ghost's attention to Zeiger as he came charging at him, sword recoiled to attack. The Black Ghost waited for the attack to come in before acting. He had to time this right. Zeiger continued rampaging forward and, once in striking range, thrust his sword at the Black Ghost's eye level. In a split second movement, the Black Ghost ducked, allowing Zeiger's sword to glide over his head and plant itself deep into the concrete wall.

Having evaded the attack and with the weapon now out of use, the Black Ghost immediately unleashed his counterattack. He jumped to standing, knocking Zeiger's arms away from his stuck-fast sword, opening up his guard. Torso exposed, the Black Ghost threw a flurry of punches into Zeiger's stomach forcing him backwards slightly. The last punch connected, Zeiger grunted and hopped backwards to get out of range of any more hits being landed to his now sore gut. Zeiger glowered at the Black Ghost with his burning, red, pupil-less eyes in disgust. He felt defiled having been pummelled so many times. With a roar, Zeiger lashed out, claws extended, scratching at the Black Ghost's hooded face. The Black Ghost ducked instinctively before launching himself forward, catching Zeiger around his mid-riff, tackling him to the ground. Zeiger fell flat on his back and felt the weight of the Black Ghost on top of him. With a quick scramble, the Black Ghost knelt over his fallen foe and raised his fist to strike. Before he could bring his fist down, a siren suddenly exploded all around the lab at a deafeningly, piercing pitch. The Black Ghost paused and glanced around the room as the warning siren blared out tunelessly.

"Sounds like one of your little sleepers just woke up," Zeiger said with a sneering smile. With the Black Ghost momentarily subdued by the security alarm, Zeiger lifted his feet, planted them in the Black Ghost's stomach and, with a sharp kick, threw his captor over his head. Caught slightly off guard, the Black Ghost just managed to get a hand to the ground and flipped from hands to feet. In the meantime, Zeiger curled his legs up and sprung to his feet with a flick.

"Well, as fun as this little play-date has been, I suppose I'd best take my leave," he said staring at the Black Ghost's back, "I'll leave you with your company. I'll look forward to our next meeting." The Black Ghost stood up and turned to face Zeiger who appeared to be standing in a black circle around his feet, sword in hand. The Black Ghost was about to make a move towards him but a wave of hellish, crimson flames engulfed Zeiger.

"Be a good boy now…" he smirked before disappearing from sight with the dying flames.

The Black Ghost stood on his own in the room with the alarm still screaming overhead. He cursed his luck as he picked up his sword and sheathed it within his coat. Security would already be on their way to apprehend him. He had to escape. Heading for the only entrance/exit to the containment lab, the Black Ghost knelt down and picked up the hand of the deceased scientist.

"I'm sorry such an ill fate befell you tonight sir. I had no intention of things going this far," he said slowly to the body as he placed the man's hand on the scanning pad. The pad blipped forcing the door open with split-second speed. The Black Ghost hurried out of the lab and into the corridors of B-wing.

The corridors of Morland Labs had transformed now that the security alert had been sounded. The main lighting strips had been extinguished and were now substituted by revolving amber lamps accompanied by the wailing siren. The yellowish light gave the brilliant white walls a dirty, muddy-brown tinge and the once barren hall were now active with a pandemic of fleeing scientist scurrying around desperately to get out of the building like frightened rabbits seeking their burrows.

Suddenly, in the pulsing strobe lighting, a group of alternatively uniformed men ran onto the chaotic scene all armed with a variety of weapons. One of them turned down the corridor where the Black Ghost was.

"Hey! Hey YOU!" he shouted just barely audible over the alarm. The Black Ghost stood still as the group of armed guards quickly shuffled their way over to him, guns drawn and aimed. The Black Ghost was cornered. The first turning back into the research facility was now beyond the advancing guards and the only route behind him led back into the containment lab. Suddenly, the Black Ghost felt a crippling pain in his left arm. The pain multiplied and shot like a hot liquid was travelling up through his arm. The Black Ghost struggled to sustain his composure as his arm twitched violently making his fingers spasm uncontrollably. His focus was fading but he managed to regain his grip on reality, just as the group stopped a few feet in front of him.

"Hands up!" the leading guard screamed. The Black Ghost refused to comply.

"Hands up!" the guard barked again, "Get 'em up or we'll shoot!" This time, the Black Ghost complied. Throwing his left arm up to eye level, he spread his fingers wide and a gust of wind erupted from his palm. As Zeiger had performed on him, an invisible force flew at the squad knocking them all over. The Black Ghost sprung into action as the men collided with the cold floor. Leaping over the fallen squadron, the Black Ghost sprinted down the deserted corridor and around the corner.

Lab doors zipped past the Black Ghost's line of sight as he charged headlong down the twisted labyrinth of corridors. Suddenly, a second group of guards appeared at the end of the hall.

"FREEEEZE!" a man with a rifle hollered taking aim. The Black Ghost skidded to a halt. The men had headed him off and were blocking his route. The Black Ghost glanced to his right and saw a window leading outside. It was a risky exit since was already several storeys above the ground. If the plummet didn't kill him, a broken leg would be of no good in an attempt to flee. Further examination of the exterior revealed a long path leading to the roof of a smaller building. Then, it clicked. He was directly over the connecting bridge where he'd entered B-wing. Without a second thought, the Black Ghost dashed for the window. Gunfire erupted up the corridor as the Black Ghost dove through the window smashing the glass pane and out into the muggy night air.

Controlling his flight, the Black Ghost tucked into a break-roll as he touched down on the roof of the connecting bridge. He scrambled to his feet and quickly shot off along the rooftop. The pursuing guards stood crowding the window the Black Ghost had just leapt through and opened fire on him. Bullets sprayed and ricocheted off the concrete as the Black Ghost reached the edge of the building at the opposite end. Without prior judgement, the Black Ghost leapt from the building to land on the domed rooftop of one of the storage hangers. His jump wasn't long enough and he was going to fall short. The Black Ghost felt his left arm burn and sear with a hot flushing pain again. In mid-flight, the Black Ghost felt a sudden surge of energy course through him and out through the balls of his feet. There, the Black Ghost suddenly felt a solid surface beneath him. Floating in midair was a glowing red glyph that had materialised underneath him allowing the Black Ghost to double jump. Kicking off the glyph, which disappeared once his feet left it, the Black Ghost made up the shortfall and collided heavily with the side of the domed roof.

With no foothold or place to grab, the Black Ghost desperately snatched his sword from inside his coat and dug it into the wall with all his might. The sword tore a great gouge out of the wall as the Black Ghost slid down, slowing his descent. Then, as he was about half way down, the blade snapped in two forcing the Black Ghost to land heavily on the tarmac. The landing was somewhat ungraceful as the Black Ghost stood up. He had shaken off his pursuers for now but they would be on him again if he remained stationary. Suddenly, the Black Ghost heard a distinct chopping sound over the still ringing siren. Whirling around, a small group of airborne Cambots were approaching from behind. The Black Ghost looked on as the light above the telescopic-styled lens flickered from an alerted amber to a dangerous red. He'd been discovered again. The Cambots let out a synchronised pulsing alarm to draw attention to themselves and their target. The Black Ghost knew he was, once again, in trouble. Reinforcements were already probably on their way and with the Cambots now on him, there was little chance of escape.

Gripping his broken sword, the Black Ghost ran at the hovering machine. With a leaping swing, the Black Ghost sliced through the long telescopic eye of the Cambot. Sparks flew from the exposed circuitry as the Black Ghost then jammed his shortened weapon into the rotating propellers that kept the machine aloft. The overloaded motor let off a small explosion and billowed black smoke as the engine failed. Snatching at the disabled Cambot, the Black Ghost plucked it out of the air and threw it at the remaining two surveillance robots hovering close by. The sparking Cambot detonated like a donut-shaped grenade in the path of its supporting models causing them to explode. With his mechanical pursuers dealt with, the Black Ghost headed for the facility's fenced perimeter.

Since the security team was on full alert, there seemed little need to remain in the shadows but the Black Ghost knew that it was best to stay out of sight nonetheless. The Cambots hadn't improved his harrowing situation, but with his mission now compromised, it led to the burning desire to evacuate the chaotic scene. Sweeping around the side of the storage hanger, the Black Ghost advanced cautiously, his sense sharp for anything to disturb the extreme space around him. Passing a large vehicle on his left, the Black Ghost froze when a loud groaning of moving metal suddenly rang out. The Black Ghost snapped a glance at the vehicle whose nearest cargo door had just swung open where two feet touched the ground on its opposite side.

"Uhh…what the hell happened?" a gurgling voice spoke. "Bound like a box in my own cargo hold of my own truck, and…OW! My head's killin' me…What'd I do? Get hit by a train?" The dazed man cupped his head in his hands, turned to his left on hearing a metal creaking but before he knew what was going on, the open door of the vehicle swung at him, slamming into his face with a dull thud and all went black. The Black Ghost peered around the edge of the door he had just kicked shut. On the ground, eagle-spread and unconscious, was the same transit driver he had incapacitated at the beginning of the night. The Black Ghost tutted in shameful pity, shaking his head.

"There he is!" a booming voice erupted from behind him. The Black Ghost immediately took off as a spray of bullets peppered the transit lorry's cargo door.

With no other route available, the Black Ghost was forced to run out into the open entranceway of the site. There were no buildings to hide behind and nothing but open tarmac constantly swept by the large spotlights mounted on watchtowers. The Black Ghost kept sprinting across the grounds despite the fact that the great beams of light were now billowing down on him from above. Gunfire exploded from the nearest tower in focused bursts but the Black Ghost dove forward, rolling out of harm's way. The Black Ghost didn't break his stride as he stood up and continued for the main gate dead ahead of him.

"Seal the gate!" a guard yelled into a radio. The guard sitting in the gate-control booth slammed his fat hand down on a large red button and the rolling gate bolted itself shut. The chubby guard waddled inside the complex, pulled out his pistol from its holster and stood nervously in the Black Ghost's path as he ceaselessly charged towards him like and enraged animal.

"H-hold it!" the podgy man stammered once he thought the hooded intruder was within earshot, his pistol rattling in his thick fingers. The Black Ghost either ignored him or didn't hear since his lightning pace didn't slow. The guard, although shaky, remained defiantly in the way. Whether by instinct or nervous twitch, the guard begin firing randomly at the Black Ghost who didn't flinch as the bullets zipped either side of him. Then, one shot came at head height, marked with deadly accuracy. The Black Ghost dropped to the ground allowing the bullet to pass overhead. At the same time, the Black Ghost extended his leg as he slid along the floor. Feeling his foot come into contact with the guard's ankle, with a sharp lift, he swept the guard's feet out from underneath him. The guard toppled backwards but he never felt his back hit the ground in his sprawl. The Black Ghost, catching the falling man by his levitated feet, grabbed him and, with a half-turning swing, threw the guard behind him into the crowd of pursuing men. The wailing man hit the front row of guards, bowling them over although, the rear lines managed to evade the spillage and continue the chase.

"We've got him now!" one man yelled triumphantly, nearing the sealed gate but his expression instantly switched to one of horrified shock as he saw the escapee in black somersaulting high over the rings of razor-wire that looped along the top of the gate. In the air, a glowing red glyph was slowly evaporating into thin air from whence it came. The squad of armed men skidded to a stop, mouths hung aghast, minds failing to comprehend what they just witnessed.

"What the...? What the hell is he?!" the guard babbled watching the hooded intruder disappear into the night. Somehow, he felt relieved to see him leave.

---------

The city of Second London beamed its many artificial light, illuminating the dark of night. The streets were almost as active in these hours of darkness as they were during the day. In a rundown outskirt town stood what appeared to be a dilapidated shack of a house with an overgrown, neglected garden inhabiting its entrance. This neighbourhood cul-de-sac was always quiet here as a silent figure dropped onto the front garden path, barely visible amongst the tangle of brambles, from the rooftop next door. Snapping at his coat that was snared on a thorny bush, the Black Ghost approached the front door and entered, once checking that the coast was clear.

The halls were dark but the Black Ghost had committed the entire place to memory so he sought little need for any more light than what the moon could pour in through the tiny windows. All apart from one room that was more brightly decorated and lit by candlelight where an elderly Asian-looking man with a long-trimmed white beard and bushy white eyebrows sat in a dreamy state, dressed in flowing gold and red trimmed robes. He sat cross-legged behind a very low table where the candles rested upon. The air was sweet with burning incense that contrasted the dreary attire of the rest of the house.

"You have returned a lot sooner than I would have expected my son. Did your latest investigation not go according to plan?" the elderly man said. His voice flowed almost melodiously but tone was blunt and to-the-point although non-threatening.

"You could say that Sensei," the Black Ghost said kneeling down in front of the old man on the other side of the table.

"There is a negative tone to your voice my boy. I am concerned," the old man said slowly.

"It wasn't what I was looking for," the Black Ghost sighed.

"That doesn't seem to be the deepest of your troubles however," the man said cooingly. The Black Ghost sighed again.

"Zeiger got involved again. He jeopardised everything. But that's not the worse of it…An innocent man was killed tonight…thanks to my interloping." The old man bowed his head and hummed remorsefully.

"I trust it was not by your hand?"

"Of course not. Zeiger killed him…Murderous wretch," the Black Ghost snarled before sighing once again, "I couldn't stop him."

"An unsettling consequence indeed my boy, but you cannot hold yourself accountable for the actions of others."

"I know Sensei…I know…" the Black Ghost said suppressing the urge to shout. He felt bad for allowing Zeiger to kill someone yet could do nothing but watch. The Black Ghost then dipped his hand inside his coat and pulled out his broken sword and laid it gingerly on the table before his teacher like a fallen comrade.

"I'm gonna need another sword," he said flatly.

"You're blade looks as weary as you do. You must rest to allow time for yourself to recover," the old man instructed taking the broken blade and placing it beside him," Go now. No lectures tonight except that you must rest."

"Yes Sensei Yoshitama," the Black Ghost said. Placing his gloved hands on the edge of the table, the Black Ghost dipped his head in a respectful bow and then stood up. The old teacher bowed also as the Black Ghost headed for the nearest doorway.

"You used the Shadow Arts again tonight didn't you?" the man then said to the Black Ghost's back. He froze in the doorway but did not respond at once. Somehow, his sensei always seemed to know.

"Yes Sensei. One Wave Blast and the Air Hike manoeuvre twice. But it was for an otherwise inescapable situation."

"Be that as it may, your condition will never improve if you continue to use such cursed magic," the old man warned.

"Once I find that stone…it will no longer be a concern," the Black Ghost said.

"Yes…but until that time, heed the warnings. The Shadow Arts may grant one with incredible power but at the cost of one's body, mind and eventually, their soul. A price no man can afford to pay."

"Yes Sensei…I understand…Goodnight." With that, the Black Ghost disappeared through the dark doorway leaving Yoshitama to his meditation.


	9. The Fate of Mysterious Entities

Chapter 8: The Fate of Mysterious Entities 

"Run! Just go!" the man shouted over his shoulder as he continued to fire his bulky rifle into the mist, unsure if any shots would find a target.

"No! We can't! Not yet," a youthful voice piped defiantly behind the man.

""This isn't a request; it's an order! Now, shift it!" the man barked shoving the boy forward who stumbled a little, trying to resist the man's violent push.

"I said NO! We can't just leave her behind! She'll be captured," he protested weakly turning to face the man who had just ceased firing. He ejected a short, stumpy magazine from the base of the weapon and slapped in a new one.

"She'll be okay kid. We've gotta keep movin' or we'll all be in for it." The man gazed into the foggy scenery with his rifle raised. His senses alert and sharp for any potential threat.

"What if she's in danger? We haven't heard from her yet. Are we just gonna abandon her and run away?"

"Not a chance kid, but there's no point in us lingering here waiting for trouble. We need to--- Whoa! Look out!"

The man dove to one side, tackling the boy in his movement as a large piece of debris shot from the fiery sky and crash-landed inches from where they were previously stood. The pair groaned, sitting up slowly to admire the chunk of rock they had narrowly managed to dodge.

"Whew…too close," the man breathed standing up to dust himself off.

"Yeah, thanks," the boy smiled still on his backside. The man offered his hand; the boy clasped it and allowed himself to be yanked to his feet.

"Where the hell'd that hunk of brickwork come from?" the man asked scanning the surrounding buildings.

Everything looked desolate. Buildings stood barely supporting themselves on either side of the narrow street. Some had crumbled or toppled over, leaving great gouges in the street's lining. The remains lay sprawled across the road making its smooth, yet cracked, surface artificially mountainous. Vehicles lay twisted and useless randomly placed on the tarmac or encased in rocky tombs in amongst the rubble. From in between those towering buildings that were still standing tall, the sky was glowing a dark, eerie shade of crimson; an evil, dusky horizon. A derelict town that showed no signs of life besides the two standing in the middle of the quake-distorted road. Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted from the depths of the mist forcing the man and boy to spin.

"What was that?!" the boy cried. He desperately stared into the fog for an owner to the disembodied yowl. From within the low-laying haze, a wavering silhouette of an unknown creature stood beyond the greyed curtain. Its eyes burned through the clotted air as it let out a lowly growl like a ravenous beast with prey in sight. Its monstrous proportions gave all evidence that this being was not of nature's creation.

"W-what the hell's THAT thing?!" the boy stammered.

"Don't know, don't care," the man replied quickly. He snatched at the boy's arm in a passing stride as he broke into a run, heading in the opposite direction. Responding to the sudden retreat, the creature roared piercingly before setting off after them.

The boy and man's feet pounded the battered road in hurried strides, double the pace of the pursuing monster's, whose huge clawed paws thundered on the ground, cracking it with each bounding step. It was closing in on the fleeing pair. Racing onwards, the two males came to a mound of rubble that had formed a blockade in the middle of the street, spanning its width.

"Quick, climb over!" the man ordered, turning on the spot and raising his weapon. The boy didn't hesitate and immediately began to scale the mountainous pile. Having climbed about half way up, the boy looked down at his partner who was firing bursts of bullets into the dank mist at the monster in pursuit. The thunderous footfalls had stopped inexplicably, suggesting that the creature had given up the chase. Then, from the haze, came the awful sound of groaning, like immense pressure being applied to dense metal. The man stopped firing but kept his rifle readied. The sound had stopped and the atmosphere became uncomfortably silent.

"You all right up there kid?" the man shouted up the wall of debris with a brief glance backwards.

"Yeah…I'm…WATCH OUT!"

The boy's cry forced the armed man to face forward again. Looking up at the fiery skyline, the twisted shell of a destroyed vehicle was airborne, heading directly for him. The man dove to one side as the contorted machine slammed into the barricade. Quaking shivers shot up the wall, shaking loose particles from it. The boy wailed as a flat rock he was using for a foothold slipped out from the debris. Sliding a little, the boy grasped a rock jutting out from the rest of the pile to prevent himself from tumbling all the way down to the street below.

"You okay?" the man called urgently, righting himself from his roll. He genuinely seemed more concerned for the boy's safety than his own well-being.

"Yeah…" the boy puffed, hauling himself up to a safe ledge. He then flinched as another roar echoed down the narrow street.

"Behind you! It's coming!"

Pounding footsteps began billowing over the whole area again, shaking the road. They sounded rushed and frequent. The man gasped as the monster's ominous hulk blurred as a shadow in the mist, growing larger with every step it took; getting closer.

"C'mon! Hurry!" The boy's voice broke the man out of his dumbfounded trance. He turned to the barrier and scrambled up it as fast as he could to meet the boy at the top. All the while, the creature's booming footsteps were getting louder and closer. Upon reaching the summit, the pair looked at each other and then down the other side of the wall of rubble. It appeared to be slightly more sloped but it still required time to descend it. Another ear-splitting roar rang out as the monster then came into view.

"He's not slowing down. We've gotta be quick!" the man said pushing the boy forwards again. They both hopped from ledge to ledge, trying anxiously to reach ground level. The crashing footsteps of the monster's speedy gait now sounded worryingly close. They were nearly at the bottom.

"He's gonna ram it! JUMP!" the man yelled over the booming that sounded like the creature was mere feet from the wall.

After a hesitant second, the boy drew a deep breath and held it before leaping forwards. He landed awkwardly and rolled on his side as his feet hit the ground, but he remained unharmed.

"Get to cover!" the man shouted to the boy just as he felt the barricade tremble with the thunderous footsteps. Steadying himself, the man launched himself forward, clearing the rest of the debris on the way down. In his flight, there was a tremendous bang, like dynamite detonating within close proximity and the wall of rubble burst apart. Large chunks of rock flew in all directions from the explosive epicentre as the monstrous creature bulldozed its way through the wreckage with one charging blow. The man, miraculously unhurt by the projectiles thrown into the air, tucked into a tight ball and rolled when he felt his feet touch solid ground again. The boy, on seeing the wall blow apart, darted around the corner of a nearby building and into an alleyway, to take refuge from the raining boulders and flat lumps of brickwork and concrete.

The boy, breathing heavily, slowly peeked around the corner of the building to survey the scene of destruction. The thick cloud of dust slowly dissipated from view, revealing the juggernaut of a beast that had barged its way through the barricade. Easily the size of a large bear, the creature stood on two legs with a body that looked like it was carved out of solid stone. Completely jet black in colour, its face held two piercing red eyes with no pupils or irises along with a hanging jaw that was drizzling saliva like a rabid animal. Atop its head were two crooked horns that resembled a devil. All features of a hell-spawned monster that even the bravest would fear. The boy gasped as the creature's merciless eyes locked with his with a snapping twist of the head. The boy drew his head back behind the wall. He could now hear the monster's thundering footsteps heading towards him. More evident, in amongst the pounding footsteps, the boy could hear his heart thumping in his ears, at least three times faster than the monster's sluggish pace.

His breathing became husky and shallow as he listened to his stalker edging closer. He turned down the alley, desperate to increase the distance between him and the creature but he quickly came to a dead end. He was trapped. He pressed himself up against the wall as a bulky shadow glided into the alley and stretched up the brickwork behind him. The monster leered at the boy hungrily. It made its way into the alley but it suddenly flew forwards, stumbling. Something explosive had ignited itself on the creature's back and the force of the detonation sent it reeling forwards. Seeing an escape opportunity, the boy quickly took flight, sprinting straight at the creature while it was momentarily subdued. The beast took a clumsy swipe at him as he passed but the boy merely ducked allowing the attack to glide harmlessly over his head.

Running back out into the street, the boy scanned the area for any signs of life, but he was soon interrupted by the painful roaring cries of the monster in the alleyway. Before the boy could turn to face it, a voice shouted a direct order.

"Get down!" Reacting almost instantaneously, the boy darted for cover behind a vehicle, a split second before gunfire erupted in his direction. Peering through the shattered windows of a busted vehicle, the boy saw his elder partner, knelt down, shooting down the alleyway at the monster. The creature did not seem to mind being shot at as the bullets sprayed its torso. They appeared to be doing very little damage to it as it marched out of the alley and over to where the man was perched, firing on it. The man let out a warcry, his finger cemented to the trigger of his assault rifle as it spewed bullets at maximum rate of continuous fire. Still, the monster advanced on the man, unhindered by the scores of hits landing on every square inch of its body. It didn't even appear to flinch.

Suddenly, the gun clicked. The man's eyes grew wide with panic. He was out of ammo and the beast was directly on top of him. The man quickly ejected the empty clip and reached for a new one, but before he could get it into the weapon, the monster threw its mighty paw up, catching the man in the chest. The force of the strike launched the man backwards, lifting him off his feet. Unable to control his flight, the man slammed into the wall of the building directly behind him. The strength of the impact forced him to drop his rifle which spun out of reach. The man coughed and spluttered, the blow had winded him, knocking the air from his lungs. He lay dazed and disorientated on his side, trying to catch his escaped breath while the monster slowly trudged its way over to his fallen position. The man fidgeted on the ground, trying to recover faster than he could possibly muster. The monster, now stood over him, wasted no time in snatching its grounded entity up by his neck and held him at arm's length. The man kicked and struggled in the beast's huge paws as he felt its crushing grip closing around his windpipe, slowly choking him. The creature seemed to be enjoying watching the man squirm in its clutches as it applied more pressure.

Suddenly, the monster lurched and roared in pain, releasing the man from its crushing grip. The man hit the tarmac, clasping his throat and gasping for air, feeling his starved airways suddenly open up again. Still, catching his breath, the man looked up at the monster that was writhing in pain. It looked like it was trying to reach around to its back but its bulky limbs seemed inadequate to do so. The monster spun on the spot, and there, in the centre of it back, was a long shard of metal sticking out from the gaping wound the man's grenade blast had inflicted. Also present, hanging onto the other end, suspended off the floor, was the boy. He had plunged the metal spike into the open wound forcing it to relinquish his partner. The monster was thrashing about, trying to remove the spike from its back, with the boy still clung distraughtly to the make-shift weapon. Then, the monster managed to grab hold of the boy around his waist and pulled hard. The boy grunted as he felt the crushing pressure clamp around his pelvis but he resisted as much as he could, longing not to being separated from his spike. Then, with a strong tug, the spike slipped from the wound and followed the boy's path around to the creature's front. The spike held fast in the boy's hand. The boy squirmed in the monster's grip, trying to free himself but it was no use. The monster was far too strong. The man looked on helplessly, still too incapacitated to stand or to move.

The boy, then, felt the beast's second paw clasp around his waist followed by an excruciating pain in the same area. The monster was squeezing the boy and was literally wringing the life out of him. The young man yelled out loud as the pressure multiplied around his middle.

"NO!" the man cried feebly, reaching out to the young lad being tortured. He couldn't bear the sight of the kid being manhandled in the mitts of a creature in such an inhumane manner.

Then, fighting the crushing pain on his hips, the boy raised the spike and plunged it, with all his might, into the base of the monster's thumb. The beast flinched, releasing the boy from its grip, allowing him to fall to the ground. The boy crumpled as he hit the floor. His waistline pulsed painfully and his legs seemed momentarily inoperable. He crawled along the ground to get closer to his friend, the numbness in his lower limbs slowly dissipating.

"Nice move," the man said breathlessly with smile on his face. The boy returned the smile with a weak flash his own but the monster had quickly regained their attention. Having removed the shard of metal from its paw, the monster let out an angry roar as it slung the spike away into the distance. The boy and man shuffled backwards as the monster turned and glowered at the floored pair. With another characterising roar, the monster raised its giant fists high above its horned head threateningly. The boy and man gasped, awaiting the crushing blow to land on top of them.

Then, all of sudden, the monster arched backwards and omitted a loud cry of immense discomfort. It continued to roar in pain as the point of a glowing light suddenly protruded from the beast's chest. The boy and man blinked in awestruck confusion as the monster staggered backwards a few paces before toppling over to land, face down, on the dusty ground with a mighty crash; unmoving, inches from their seats. Behind the monster, once it had hit the floor, stood a woman holding what looked like a glowing, incandescent machete of neon green.

"You all right there boys?" the woman said smiling down on the two males who were still on their backsides.

"…Am I glad to see you," the boy said, unafraid to show his gratitude.

"Humph…late as usual I see m'lady," the man grinned with false malice to his voice.

"I'd say 'just in time' to be fair. Any later and I'd be scraping the pair of ya off the pavement with a shovel like common roadkill," the woman fired back, still smirking. Clicking a button on the handle, the glowing blade disappeared and with a quick hand up, the man and boy were soon on their feet again.

"You okay?" she asked the boy. He nodded solemnly.

"That kinda went a little pear shaped," the boy said grimly.

"No kidding. But I did manage to find out some great info on what we're looking for," the woman reported. The guys leaned in closer as their female partner elaborated,

"It turns out that there IS another one; one more than we realised. Therefore, one missing. We've got to find it before…"

Suddenly, the whole street began to tremble violently. The trio struggled to keep their balance while the ground shook uncontrollably.

"What's going on?!" the boy yelled. Then, as if to answer his question, the ground cracked open with a huge explosion that threw great chucks of tarmac up like an underground volcano had just made itself evident.

"Crap! They found us again!" the woman said nervously.

"That was bloody quick!" the man exclaimed.

"They're pulling us in!" the boy cried feeling the floor sliding beneath his feet.

"Run for it!" the man shouted, his aching body suddenly feeling very animated.

The group of three quickly turned tail and sprinted for the other end of the street. The gaping hole that had erupted onto the surface suddenly, as if under a master's control, began to collapse the road the trio had just taken off down. Their feet clapped the barren road, the growing pit giving chase, eager to swallow them all whole. The boy glanced over his shoulder, watching the scenery and floor behind him disappear into the blank chasm of the yawning hole that was fast approaching his heels. Barely managing to keep ahead of it, the boy poured every ounce of effort and energy into his lengthy strides; determined to keep up with his friends. Then, as if by some cruel tactic, a booming shockwave shot ahead of the hole, rippling along the ground in its rush.

With their backs turned, none of them saw the sneaky move as it tunnelled under their feet, breaking their running strides. Landing awkwardly having been tossed into the air, the three of them scrambled to their feet to get running again. The boy let out a yelp of panic, his feet failed to find traction on the loose pebbles that littered the ground. His shoes slipped out from underneath him and the boy felt his face collide with the tarmac. The two elder figures turned and gasped as they saw the boy lying on the gritty floor with the cascading road just behind him. The boy held out his hand and cried out their names, beseeching them for help over the tremors of the approaching pit. The woman shouted the boy's name that seemed lost in the moment of panic as the yawning chasm removed the ground beneath him, plunging him into darkness.

The boy yelled, freefalling deeper into the dark abyss. The fiery skyline was but a tiny speck above him as he descended down into the depths of the never-ending darkness. Then, as if delivered by a gunshot, the boy hit a solid surface at phenomenal speed which silenced his screams instantly. For a split second, something flashed before his eyes and then, as if by response to the impact, Kairyn snapped open his eyes.


	10. A Forceful Parting

Chapter 9: A Forceful Parting

Dateline: 19th April 327 N.E; Time: 17:56

Momentarily paralysed by the flurry of mental images that had just flashed through his head, Kairyn pushed himself up off his bed and rubbed his face vigorously. Stretching his face with the tugging of his hands, he blinked rapidly to arouse his senses to the real world again as his chaotic bedroom slid back into focus.

"Whoa…what a dream…" he said to himself with a sharp, puffing breath. The sudden slip into a vivid, dreamy doze seemed to have caught him off guard.

"_What was that all about?_" he pondered now lost in thought, _"…those people…that kid. Who were they? And what happened to them? That monster…What the hell kinda dream was that?!" _Kairyn sat back on his heels atop his bed. Most of his dreams came and disappeared with the morning light and he usually thought nothing of them. But this one…this dream…it seemed to rock him. It had disturbed him so much, it impacted him right to his core. A nervous tingle shuddered down his spine the more he thought about it.

"No…it's nothing. It's just a dream. Too many video games," Kairyn then said shaking his head.

He gazed out of his window. The afternoon sun was radiating from behind the towering skyscrapers lining the horizon. The first few stars shyly began to emerge from the darkening heavens; the evening was fast approaching. The household was still silent and dark but Kairyn felt giddy and suffocated. Deciding he needed some fresh air to clear the overcrowding thoughts in his head, Kairyn gathered together his things, flew down the stairs, into the shadowy hallway and out the front door. As he stepped out onto the street and a cool rush of air soared up his nostrils, Kairyn glanced up at the burning sky. For some peculiar reason, he had the strangest, niggling tension festering in the pit of his stomach; like something was about to happen. And that someone…somewhere…was in some inexplicable amount of danger.

----------------

Through the luscious greenery of the Great Valley, Littlefoot ran. He tore blindly through the dense undergrowth of the woodlands. He daren't look back to see how close his three human pursuers were. Tangled meshes of branches and foliage whipped and lashed at his body as he dove into bushes and hedges to maintain a safe distance from the three men attempting to seize him for some unbeknown reason. Littlefoot did not want to find out firsthand what they had in store for him and that thought seemed to increase the surge of adrenaline coursing through his pumping veins as he galloped headlong into the undergrowth desperate to reach the open fields and the sanctity of the elder dinosaurs.

Littlefoot gasped for air as the strenuousness of his sprint began to take its toll. His path through the low lying bushes and over huge looping tree roots seemed to triple its standard length now he was leading a chase but he felt a flush of momentary respite when he saw the path widen like a river's delta as he hurdled the last bush. He'd reached the forest's exit; the open fields and grazing meadows were just beyond its border. Once he was out in the free air, the truth of a human invasion would be undeniable. There would be no possible way the humans could remain anonymous if they chased him across the open plains of the Valley. Determined to blow their cover, Littlefoot charged at the opening in the trees at full speed.

Leaping out into the grassy fields, Littlefoot continued to dash through the rippling blades of grass still hoping to keep a good distance between himself and his pursuers. Having not taken more than a few strides out of the dense forest, Littlefoot was about to call out to draw attention to himself when something pulled out directly in front of him. Without a second to react, Littlefoot collided head first with a large, bulky body that let out a high-pitched squeak on impact. After a few panicked kicks, Littlefoot unknotted himself from the other entity and quickly stood up to sprint off again but a low groaning yet somehow recognisable voice let out a whimper of pain that halted him in his tracks.

"Oh…Spike?!" Littlefoot puffed still a little jumpy from his adrenaline high. The stegosaurus hummed and shook his head violently to help settle the daze that had temporarily fogged his vision but quickly smiled again on seeing Littlefoot.

"Sorry Spike. I was going so fast, I didn't see you," Littlefoot said. Spike merely smiled wider, accepting Littlefoot's apology.

"Whew, that big hit. Me glad me in air when you bump Spike Littlefoot," Petrie said descending from overhead to perch on Spike's back.

"Is it just you and Spike here?" Littlefoot then asked. Petrie shook his head.

"Nope. Ducky here too."

Littlefoot scanned the area quickly. "Where is she?" Petrie glanced around for a moment before pointing just beyond Littlefoot. Littlefoot arced his head around to see Ducky walking over brushing herself down and removing fragments of shrubbery that hooked themselves to her. She had obviously been thrown from her seat on top of Spike.

"Uff…I was not expecting that to happen. Oh no, no, no…" she huffed throwing the last twig away as she stood beside Spike.

"See. Me told you we run into Littlefoot soon," Petrie piped provenly.

"Oh I knew we would, I did," Ducky said now climbing atop Spike to sit next to Petrie, "but I did not think we would actually RUN INTO him."

Littlefoot sniggered for a moment but then his memory jogged him, "Hey guys! I was right about the humans and now I can prove it!" he exclaimed. Petrie, Ducky and Spike all looked at each other for a second before looking back to Littlefoot, their expressions blank.

"The humans I told you about earlier? They were at our secret place. They chased me…they're trying to catch me!" Littlefoot said hurryingly. The trio still looked unconvinced but Ducky spoke up,

"But why would these humans want to catch you?"

"I dunno but they had those black sticks that throw fire. They were right behind me but I managed to get out before…"

The rest of Littlefoot's sentence became lodged in his throat as the bushes just behind him rustled. A fearful tingle prickled the length of his spine as Littlefoot slowly backed away from the shaking bush.

"Is…is it them?" Petrie said through a chattering beak. Littlefoot's nervousness began to rival that of even Petrie's as the rustling got closer. The idea of being a specific target to an unknown group of humans suddenly filled him with dread.

"It's them! Ruuunnnnn!" he yelled turning tail. The rest of them were about to follow him when the entity cloaked by the bushes leapt out.

"What? HEY! Where are you guys going?!" it shouted. The group froze as the bellowing voice instantly logged in their memories.

"CERA!" Ducky and Petrie called in unified relief. On hearing her name, Littlefoot skidded to a halt and looked back to see the fifth member of the gang stood face to face with Spike and his passengers.

"Cera?!" he gasped. Feeling a little foolish for fleeing so quickly, Littlefoot trotted back over to the group.

"Where were you guys? I was went to Friendship Circle but none of you were there," Cera complained shooting them all a stony glare in turn.

"You went to Friendship Circle?" Littlefoot gawked.

"That's what I just said didn't I?" Cera retorted snappily.

"Did you see them too? You must have if you went all the way there," Littlefoot said hopefully.

Cera furrowed her brow testingly, "No…I didn't see anyone. I went the back way in coz my nest is closer that end," she replied, her expression now confused.

"Who are you talking about anyway?"

"Littlefoot say he find humans in there and they chase him with fire-shootin' sticks," Petrie jumped in before Littlefoot could utter a word.

"Humans? Are you STILL going on about that?" Cera said rolling her eyes.

"But it's true Cera! They're really here! I mean…they were in there and…well…I guess I lost them now," Littlefoot babbled trying to link his thoughts into sentences but his brain didn't seem to be working fast enough.

"Are you feeling okay? You've done nothing but go on about humans lately. It's like you can't talk about anything else," Cera snorted. Littlefoot squinted and sighed with annoyance.

"I'm telling you for the thousandth time, humans are snooping around the Great Valley. They were at Two Legs' Den, they were at our hideout and now they're after me! What have I gotta do to prove it to you?"

"Well, a little solid proof we could all see would be nice," Cera said sarcastically.

Just then, a small metal cylinder bounced in to the centre of the gang's little ring from out of nowhere. All five of them paused to look at the bizarre object as it rolled to a stop in the grass.

"What is that thing?" Ducky asked first. Suddenly, the cylinder extended at both ends with a clicking pop and it emitted a high pitched squeal for a split second before erupting with a soft bang. The gang all flinched and hopped backwards in fright. The device had detonated and given off a blinding flash that had now rendered their vision an indistinguishable sheet of white.

"Arrragggghhh! What was that?!" Cera wailed trying to clear her foggy sight.

"Me no can see!" Petrie squawked panic-stricken.

"My eyes hurt! They do, they really do!" Ducky complained blinking repeatedly. Spike too was grunting in discomfort with his sight now impaired.

After a few panicked seconds, the greenery of the Great Valley slowly emerged from the blankness. The gang blinked and squinted as the last of the intense flash of light peeled away.

"Ungh…what in the world was that?!" Cera huffed half in shock and half out of irritancy.

"I do not know. But it was not very nice. Oh no, no, no," Ducky whined rubbing her eyes having forcefully been dismounted from Spike yet again. Spike hummed agreeingly wandering back over to the group. The flash had disorientated him and he found himself headfirst in a bush. With a quick snatch at the leafy plant, he stood beside his adoptive sister chomping on his mouthful.

"Either me eyes still not better, or me no can see Littlefoot," Petrie then said looking through a kaleidoscope of twinkling spots. The other three glanced around for a moment realising that Petrie's statement was indeed correct. Littlefoot had vanished.

"Huh? Where'd he go now?" Cera asked baffled by Littlefoot's sudden disappearance.

"Littlefoot?...LITTLEFOOT! Where did you go?" Ducky called cupping her mouth with her hands to throw her tiny voice as far as she could. No one replied.

"What's wrong with that longneck?" Cera snapped indignantly, "he's been acting really weird ever since…"

Suddenly, Spike erupted into random fits of panicky squeaks and whines which drowned out Cera's complaints.

"What's HIS problem now?" she probed eyeing Spike peculiarly.

"What the matter Spike?" Petrie asked the hyperactive spiketail who was now hopping up and down madly. Spike continued to whine, throwing his head in a suggestive direction. Cera, Petrie and Ducky all looked across to where Spike was gesturing and gasped.

"Humans!" Petrie squawked with bulging eyes of disbelief.

"There really WERE humans in the Great Valley! Littlefoot was telling the truth," Ducky gaped. Across the field were the three humans Littlefoot had previous mentioned. All dressed in black with various alien items attached to their bodies in random positions. They were running across the grassy meadow pushing what appeared to be a table but it was hovering off the ground. Still dumbfounded by their discovery, the gang stared on, simply watching them running away. Then, Spike's wailing kicked off again which made Petrie realise what was riding atop the floating platform.

"Those humans got Littlefoot!" he gasped in horror. Cera and Ducky stood with their mouths hung open in awe. In between two of the black suited humans, on top of the strange, silvery, levitating platform was Littlefoot but he did not appear to be moving. He lay flaccidly on his side in a sleepy state, his pendant swinging over the edge back and forth as the three humans carted him away.

"The humans have taken Littlefoot!" Ducky finally managed to squeak in terror.

"Quick! After them! We can't let them get away with Littlefoot!" Cera yelled leaping into a full striding sprint. With a dip of his head, Spike scooped Ducky up, flicked her into her straddle position on his neck and took off after Cera; Petrie instantly beat his wings and took to the skies to join the pursuit.

The humans had made quite a lot of distance between themselves and the group of young dinosaurs but given their abducted cargo and distinct lack of quadrupedal speed, they soon found their pursuers catching up.

"We are catching up with them! We are!" Ducky chirped.

"Hey! Give us back our friend!" Cera bellowed at the kidnappers once she thought she was within earshot of a shout. To her surprise, one of the humans seemed to respond. Breaking off from the leading group, the human turned around with his rifle raised and fired a burst of shot in Cera's direction. Cera squealed as the shots dug into the ground just in front of her, throwing up thin clouds of dirt in her face. Cera skidded to a halt, successfully deterred from continuing the chase while the human then turned his attention to Petrie who was airborne just above the pursuing group. Petrie panicked as a few shots whizzed past him, forcing him to plunge to the ground below. Extending her nose horn, Cera caught Petrie to save him from crash landing. The humans then turned back around to rejoin his fleeing teammates. Breathless and slightly shaken, the remaining four members of the gang stood watching the humans extending their lead ahead of them.

"Is everybody okay?" Ducky asked as Spike came spinning from behind almost bashing into Cera's static position. Everyone gave a silent nod but they are all focused on the three humans making their escape with their longnecked companion.

"They headin' for Grazing Grounds!" Petrie cawed urgently.

"But what can we do? Those humans are too dangerous to get near," Ducky protested.

"Maybe of us…but the grown-ups can do something about it," Cera said, quickly turned towards the nearest patch of undergrowth, "C'mon guys!"

Petrie looked at Cera rather confused, "But the humans going THAT way!" he said pointing at their backs.

"Those humans may be clever and may have lots of weird things to use, but they don't know the Great Valley like we do," Cera said smiling smugly, "c'mon! If we cut through here, we can beat them to the far side of the Grazing Grounds and we can warn the grown-ups." Petrie, Ducky and Spike glanced at each other for a moment before following Cera into the undergrowth.

Feeling safe in the knowledge that the little quartet of dinosaurs had given up the chase, the three uniformed men continued to press on through the deserted fields and back up to their extraction point high on the Great Valley's protective Great Wall. They had succeeded in extricating their subject and were on the home straight. Turning around the next bend that led up to the Valley's mountainous border, the three men stopped in their tracks, gaping in awe. Their direct path up to the Great Wall was blocked off by an entourage of dinosaurs of various shape, size and species. They stood in a defiant line like angry rioters ready to storm ahead on given command. Stood tall, front and centre were a pair of adult brontosauruses who appeared to be fairly elderly. Beside them stood two triceratops mates; one grey, the other pink, a female saurolophus of olive green and a blue-tinged, female pteranodon. All relative parental figures of the gang of five, all stood alongside an impressive line up of other herbivorous dinosaurs that took residency within the Great Valley's boundaries.

"Give us back our grandson!" the elderly male longneck demanded. His voice was coarse, dry but still very powerful.

"We will not let you take our child away from us!" the female partner longneck said scornfully with a tone that was equally as potent as the first, iced with deadly seriousness. With their individual speeches said, the entire field of dinosaurs cheered and shouted in revelled anger and outrage.

"How can you do such a thing to an innocent kid?! What's the matter with you!" the pink triceratops named Tria bellowed.

"You humans are not welcome here! Like any sharptooth, we'll drive you out!" the male triceratops thundered, pawing the ground. Again, the crowd rose with jeers and chants to intimidate the trio of kidnappers. However, they remained unmoving and unresponsive before the line up with Littlefoot still incapacitated on the floating platform. The remaining four gang members slowly peeked out from the protective barrier of adult dinosaurs. Littlefoot was right there in front of them but they couldn't get to him. They wanted to relieve him of the humans' grasp so bad it stung.

"Return our grandson AT ONCE!" Grandpa Longneck ordered taking a step forward. The entire line began to push forward but this only prompted the men to take action. Before any of them could react, one of the humans threw two small metal spheres at the crowd. Partially aware of what these small objects were capable of, the gang began yelling desperate warnings.

"Everyone, LOOK OUT!" Cera managed to shout above the jeering of the crowd. The two metal balls exploded simultaneously, releasing a huge cloud of thick smoke that enveloped the crowd. The dinosaurs all screamed and wailed in a frenzied panic as the viscous gas passed over them, robbing them of their sight and orientation. Then, without warning, a deafening crack of rifle fire opened up on the engulfed group. Wails of discomfort and pain emanated from the cloud as the shots tore into its smothering blanket.

Coughing and spluttering, Petrie, Cera, Ducky and Spike managed to navigate their way out of the smoke screen and into the clear air. Looking up at the rocky hillside, they saw the humans making their escape up the path and towards the Chronos Doorway.

"They are heading for the big shiny ring!" Ducky called despairingly.

"They're getting away! After them!" Cera barked shooting off without a second thought. With the gang close behind her, Cera galloped ahead, trying desperately not to lose sight of the fleeing humans. The Chronos Doorway stood just beyond the next hill. Suddenly, there was a piercing sound like a crack of lightning followed by a flicker of neon blue that quickly faded to a deep purplish-black. Cera reached the top of the hill and looked on in horror. She saw the three men activating the machines portal and they were ferrying Littlefoot's unconscious body through it.

The rest of the gang finally caught up with her and they too looked on in realising fright.

"They taking him through shiny ring!" Petrie cawed.

"NOOOOO! STTOOOOOPPP!" Cera cried galloping down the path just as the last human passed into the dark, black disc that hung in the centre of the Chronos Doorway's vast ring. With the last man's passage, the black disc immediately started to shrink. Cera, still some distance from it, dove at the portal with a final leaping bound but it disappeared before she could come into contact with it. She continued to sail through the air until she crashed to the ground, landing heavily on her face on the dusty floor. Cera stood up and shook herself off before turning back through the now vacant ring in gut-wrenching horror.

"They're…they're gone…" she breathed aghast.

"We…too late. Me…me no believe they take Littlefoot…" Petrie gasped in shock.

"Oh…what will they do to him?" Ducky asked in despair beseeching an answer. The gang stood in silent awe; distraught and saddened that their best friend had be snatched from right in front of them. What made it worse was the feeling of guilt that suddenly began to set in. None of them had believed Littlefoot when he told them countless times of the human invasion…and now he was gone. Littlefoot was at the mercy of a species of creature their world had very little knowledge of. Between them all, they silently feared what would become of their longneck friend.


	11. Route 16: The Central Quadrant

Chapter 10: Route #16: The Central Quadrant

_"There's something foul in the air. A wreaking odour of malice flows on the wind's breath. But what is it? What is the source of this malignant force? Where is it coming from? I sense a bad omen; one of ill fate and evil. Something's coming and it's growing…we're in trouble. But wait…what is this now? Another entity…but…this one is different…not like the first. It's like…like its polar opposite…but what can it be? The balance is being tampered with. Its equilibrium is disturbed. If this continues, it will surely destroy us all..._

_This madness must be stopped!"_

The streets of Forest Heights were eerily quiet as the eve of the night slowly rolled over the peaceful little town. The local stores had already shut up their windows, blanked out and devoid of life. Kairyn strolled through the town centre watching the cracked paving slabs pass beneath his feet. His thoughts placed him miles away from reality; the pavement served as his railway lines, following it wherever it bent and led. He had not realised just how far he had gone or how much time had passed, but the sudden dazzle of the street side lamps, glaring their incandescent beams of artificial light quickly recalibrated his senses to the real world once more. Having spaced out unexpectedly yet again, Kairyn blinked, feeling a cold rush of air massage his warm, flushed face. He took a long, deep breath before reaching into his left pocket and pulled out a small rectangular, clam-shelled device. Flipping it open, the top half's screen instantly illuminated. As it activated, Kairyn pressed his index finger against the blue square displayed on screen. The device blipped twice and the square flickered green accepting the biometric passcode.

The display flickered to the welcome screen awaiting its first command. Hold the device to his mouth, Kairyn spoke to it.

"Minicom…display current time please…" The computer blipped in verification and instantly switched to a holographic projected display of the current time in large blocky numbers.

"Oh my gosh! Is that the time?!" Kairyn exclaimed in horror, "I've gotta get home." Swivelling on the spot, Kairyn began to double back and head for home. Clapping his Minicom shut, he thrust his hand into his pocket. He gasped a little when he realised the next item he was after, he could not feel in the depths of his pocket.

"Huh? Where's my keycard?" he mumbled to himself turned out the contents of his pockets. Finally, flapping his arms down in an agitated huff, Kairyn gave up his frantic search for his elusive front door pass.

"Must've left it in my school bag. Damn it," he grumbled as he pondered his viable options, "Mum's away 'til next week. It's not like I can call her down from Scotland to let me in…I guess I'll have to go to the Central Quadrant and get a key from Dad…or Tyronne. Either that or I spend the night on the streets." With nothing else for it, Kairyn turned around again to head for the nearest shuttle bus stop.

Under the glowing street lamps, the unsettling stillness of the town centre continued to hang in the air as if suspended on strings. Kairyn silently crossed the empty street to the central plaza where the ambient noise was broken by the muffled chattering coming through a glowing window of an electronics shop. As Kairyn passed the shop window, he paused for a moment to watch the news broadcast that was on the many screens staring out into the street through its security barriers. Edging closer to the barrier, Kairyn could just barely hear the reporter as she looked right through him from her desk a good few kilometres away.

"_Another reported intrusion was announced today, this time from the Morland Laboratories Complex were security personnel revealed having to fend off a malevolent intruder who left one scientist dead and injured dozens more. The entity known only as "The Black Ghost", a man dressed all in black, was allegedly seen attempting to steal scientific artefacts from the complex in Harlow, Essex but was stopped when the alarm was raised. This has been the seventh burglary of a research complex in the space of approximately three months where, although unproven, the Black Ghost has been reported to have broken into similar establishments up and down the country._

_Although nothing has been reported stolen from any of the Black Ghost's targeted locations, Morland Laboratories has been the first site to have reported a killing of one of their members of staff by the Black Ghost. Nevertheless, this recent killing had prompted local police forces to step up their search for the mysterious man so that this string of criminal activities may finally be brought to an end."_

Kairyn stepped back from the mass of televisions and whistled in awestruck wonder. One man, draped in black, was able to infiltrate a building full of armed security guards and still managed to escape alive. As impressive as this feat sounded, it also worried him slightly that someone like the Black Ghost could be wandering around just about anywhere and no one would be any the wiser. Lost in his thoughts again, Kairyn silently hoped that the Black Ghost was an entity he would never have to face.

Rounding the next few corners, Kairyn finally came to half-arced, glass shelter rimmed in chrome bars. The structure seemed to resemble a toppling wave frozen in time. Kairyn walked up to the computer screen lodged in the top of a long silvery pillar and tapped the screen. The terminal blipped and quickly displayed a warning message encased in a black box followed by a computerised voice,

"Sorry. This bus terminal is currently out of order. A technician has been summoned to rectify the problem. Please try again later."

"The technician must be damn slow then. This piece of crap's been outta order for weeks now," Kairyn snorted giving the pillar a quick toe-punted kick. Dipping his hand into his pocket, Kairyn pulled out his clam-shelled computer again and flicked it open. Entering his biometric passcode and bypassing the welcome screen, Kairyn navigated his way to an online shuttle directory to access a bus timetable. He stared dreamily into the tiny screen as the download progress bar slowly filled its designated vacant space.

All of a sudden, Kairyn felt something jab him in the back, making him jump.

"Whoa! What the?!" he yelped, whirling around at high speed. Landing his hasty spin, Kairyn found himself staring into a pair of laser blue eyes that seems to shimmer even in the failing light.

"Hey erm…Kairyn. You okay?" a sweet toned voice asked.

"Oh…err…Melissa! Hiya!" Kairyn babbled hurryingly, "Me? Oh…I'm…I'm fine. Great in fact…"

"You sure? Sorry, did I scare you? I didn't mean to if I did," Melissa said grinning coyly.

"Huh? Oh no, no, no! That's okay, you didn't scare me…I just…I was miles away. I was just downlo…" Kairyn continued to stammer. His words not quite fully formed into complete sentences as he tried desperately to regain his composure. Straightening the creases out of his clothes with a brisk brush of his hands, Kairyn then realised his Minicom was no longer in his possession.

"You okay? Lost something?" Melissa asked watching Kairyn scan the ground frantically.

"No…I mean…yeah. I dropped my Minicom somewhere," Kairyn said without looking up at her. Dropping to his hands and knees, Kairyn mumbled to himself as he patted the pavement like a dog trying to bury a bone.

"Erm…is this what you're looking for?" Melissa then asked unfurling her hand. Kairyn looked up at her from his four-footed position. In the palm of her hand was his pocket computer, a little scuffed but none worse for the wear.

"Umm…yeah that's it…thanks," Kairyn said hopping to his feet and dusting himself off.

"It was behind you. It was over there," Melissa said pointing beyond the shuttle bus shelter.

"Must have thrown it further than I thought," Kairyn sniggered scratching the back of his head. Melissa giggled as Kairyn reached out to pluck his Minicom, somewhat rather nervously, from her open palm.

Checking the device over and realising the impact it had just received had somehow cancelled his download, Kairyn looked up at Melissa properly for the first time since she had initially spooked him.

"So what brings you out here this time of night?" Kairyn asked sliding the Minicom back into the sanctity of his pocket.

"I was on my way to the Central Quadrant to meet with my grandfather. I run errands for him after school every day but he only keeps one keycard for his place and he keeps it with him at all times. He kinda likes his security."

"Oh really, I'm on my way to the C-Quad too. Need to find my dad or brother for a…uhh…minor situation I've gotten myself into."

"Oh, what's that?"

"I umm…locked myself outta my own house," Kairyn said feeling rather foolishly, "how stupid can ya get huh?"

Melissa giggled behind the back of her hand while Kairyn itched the top of his head smiling sheepishly.

"Don't worry. I've done my fair share of brain-dead things. It's what makes us human," Melissa said catching Kairyn's smile to form one of her own.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

For a few moments, both Kairyn and Melissa stood facing each other in an awkward silence. Kairyn felt overwhelmed by her presence for some reason. Her features seemed to radiate through the low lying gloom of the cool night air. It made her all the more of a delight to admire. Her long blonde hair seemed to glitter and glisten even in the glaring halogen lights.

"Oh look, the bus is here," Melissa then said. Kairyn blinked rapidly as the long sleek silvery coach pulled up alongside them and came to a low hummed stop.

"Oh, yeah right," Kairyn stammered watching the double doors slide apart to reveal an empty driver's cab in the opposite right-hand corner.

"There's…no driver," Melissa said bewildered.

"Must be one of the new pilotless buses. They're on trial for a while at the moment by the city council. They're supposed to be a lot safer than manned ones," Kairyn explained stepping on board but Melissa looked a little apprehensive.

"Don't worry. I've been on these things loadsa times. The systems are said to be unhackable and they make calculated judgements rather than rash decisions. Or look at it this way; at least you know it won't get road rage."

Melissa sniggered and stepped up onto the hovering vehicle. Kairyn felt a little leap of happiness explode inside him when he saw her climb aboard. His words seemed to have consoled her and she obviously had a certain amount of trust in him. The pair of them paid their fare to Second London's Central Quadrant and they took their seats near the back of the vacant bus. The computer droned a monotonic "Thank you", slid the doors shut and, engaging its hover panels, the shuttle bus began to levitate and soon departed the shuttle stop.

The bus rolled and turned down the deserted Forest Heights streets and out of town where a greater abundance of life suddenly became evident. More hovercars and vehicles were tearing up and down the road, desperate to reach their destinations. Yet again, an offish awkward silence had fallen between Kairyn and Melissa as they sat on the bus that was still empty despite passing a few stops. The shuttle bus turned onto the main carriageway and began to pick up speed on its approach to the city's main quadrant. Kairyn fiddled with his fingered anxiously. He felt he should say something to break the silence; engage in some means of intelligent conversation but his mind was blank.

"So…erm…" Kairyn started drawing in Melissa's attention, "where abouts in the C-Quad are you heading?"

"The Keltech Building. My grandfather's a lab technician there. I go there every night to meet him so I can get his keycard so I can head home," she explained, "it seems a little silly to do things this way but Grandfather's just like that…I don't mind; anything to keep the peace."

"Really? My dad's a techie at Keltech too! And my brother just got accepted as a squaddie for their security team."

"No way. Wow! What a coincidence huh? Hang on…Taylor…your dad wouldn't happen to be Professor Stephen Taylor would it?"

"Yeah it is…I mean…yeah he is," Kairyn said in amazement; his brow then furrowed in perplexed curiosity, "but…how'd you know that?"

"My grandfather talks about him all the time. He tells me all about the work he does," Melissa continued.

"So who's your grandfather then?"

"Professor Theodore Clements. From what he's told me, both my grandfather and your dad have worked together for years and their works and research have given way to some of the most renown technological advancements we've ever seen."

"Clements?! HE'S your GRANDFATHER?!" Kairyn burst out. He had only a handful of memories of Professor Clements and yet none of them were particularly pleasant, "but how is he your grandfather? Your last names don't match."

"He's my mother's father. Since my parents passed away when I was young, he's the only family I've got. He's been taking care of me."

Kairyn felt his stomach suddenly plummet, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" Kairyn started in a hurry.

"Don't worry; it's okay. I don't remember them very well anyway. I was too young. Grandfather found me in an orphanage when I turned fourteen and took me in. We moved to Forest Heights so he could be closer to the Keltech Building without having to move right into the middle of the C-Quad." Kairyn suddenly felt incredibly guilty. Despite her insistence, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Melissa. He could not imagine having to grow up without knowing his parents; having to go through such trauma at such a young age.

"That's pretty rough. You must be pretty strong to have gone through all that," Kairyn commended.

"Not really. I just know that, despite what's happened, I will get to see them again someday. Besides, coz I was so young…I guess I never really properly understood it all. But I know I will someday soon."

"But why'd your grandfather wait until you were fourteen to decide to take you out of the orphanage? Surely if he knew about your parents, he would have taken you in as soon as he heard," Kairyn then said, is tone sharp and blunt with outrage. Melissa paused for a moment making Kairyn's insides squirm uncomfortably. He quickly felt he'd overstepped his mark and asked an inappropriate question.

"To be honest…I don't know. I've never really asked him," Melissa replied.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. That was out of order, it's not my place," Kairyn quickly piped in but Melissa shook her head.

"No, it's alright. It's a good question. I guess, I've never really thought about it that way so I guess I've never asked."

Despite her condolence, it did not make Kairyn feel any better for asking in the first place. Another awkward silence fell into position between the two of them like a shadowy veil while the bus's motor hummed tunelessly around them. Fortunately for Kairyn, the automated navigation system then chimed in over the tannoy.

"Stop 27. Second London; Central Quadrant – Charing Cross Terminus," it droned.

"This is our stop," Melissa announced getting to her feet. Kairyn remained seated for a few extra moments; his mind still transfixed on their conversation. As much as it intrigued him, it also frightened him a little. The idea of losing his family and hardly even knowing who they were sent a nervous shudder through him.

"Hey! You coming?" Melissa summoned from the front of the bus.

"Yeah…yeah, coming," Kairyn said hopping to his feet.

The shuttle bus rolled to a gentle stop as its terminal and the doors slid open allowing Kairyn and Melissa to step off and into the city streets. With another toneless hum, the bus reactivated its engines and floated off into the night.

"It'll be quickest if we head this way. We can follow the roads that run alongside the Thames," Melissa suggested. Without saying another word, Kairyn followed behind her as she set off in the direction of the Keltech Building.

Having walked for a little while, again in total silence, Kairyn and Melissa made their way through the city's winding streets that meandered their way in between the towering buildings that stretched and reached for the starry night sky. Oddly enough, the roads were not particularly busy despite the known fact that the city was on a constant, twenty-four hour buzz and always moving no matter what time of day it happened to be. Tonight, the roads seems abnormally quiet with only the occasional hovercar passing every so often.

"I don't think I've ever seen Second London this quiet before. I know I haven't been here long but it just seems odd," Melissa said.

"I know what you mean. I've never known the city to be this deserted. It's normally still hectic this time of night," Kairyn agreed as they continued down the brightly lit street.

"Well, the Keltech Building isn't far now. We should be there soon," Melissa said smiling. Kairyn smiled and nodded back. Passing an alleyway, Kairyn looked up at the fragmented skyline, through the skyscrapers. Just in the distance was an ominous structure that stood tall and boastfully over all the others.

"There it is. That's the Keltech Building," he said pointing up at the monstrous building that loomed over all it surveyed.

Suddenly, a dull thud echoed out over the two kids followed by the instantaneous dousing of the street lights, plunging them both into a sudden darkness. Kairyn and Melissa halted in response to the abrupt killing of the lights. Standing side-by-side, they glanced at each other just as a second dull boom emanated from an unknown location. The sound rippled overhead followed by an intense gust of wind that blasted past them, hitting them head on. Kairyn stood fast, shielding his face from the mighty rush of air as it battled to sweep him off his feet.

"What the hell is that? What's going on?!" he shouting to Melissa through the wind.

"I don't know! Where's it coming from?" she called back. Melissa then wailed in panic as she felt her footing slip. With little effort, the wind picked Melissa up and pulled her backwards.

"Melissa!" Kairyn cried throwing out his hand. With a snatch, he clasped her wrist before the wind could carry her away and held her tight while trying hard not to be swept away himself.

"Hang on!" Kairyn called through the tornado-strength gusts that whipped and battered against them. Melissa managed to find her feet again and squinted through the dusty air as litter and loose particles took off and travelled with the high winds. Ducking into small balls, shielding themselves from the debris, Kairyn and Melissa slowly looked up as the winds, somehow, died down just as quickly as they had emerged. Uncurling from their defensive positions, Kairyn and Melissa stood upright and dusted themselves off as the lights flickered back to life.

"What the hell was that?" Melissa asked breathlessly as she combed her fingers through her hair with a free hand.

"I dunno…" Kairyn said cautiously, "I've never seen anything like that before. Not in the city anyway." Suddenly, Kairyn felt something twitch in the clutches of his right hand. Glancing down, he realised that he was still holding onto Melissa's wrist. Startled, Kairyn snatched his hand off her wrist.

"Sorry…didn't mean to grab you like that," he quickly apologised.

"No worries. If it weren't for you, I'll probably would have been blown all the way back to the shuttle stop," Melissa said smiling, "thanks."

Kairyn stood open-mouthed for a second before smiling too, "You're welcome."

Then, Kairyn noticed a strange item attached to Melissa's wrist; just below where he had grabbed her to prevent her from being blown away by the strong winds.

"What's that thing on your arm? A bracelet?" he asked.

"Oh this? Yeah, it's a bracelet; a family treasure. Apparently my mother gave it to me when I was little. Again, don't remember it but I like it," Melissa said lifting up her arm to reveal the decorative metal shackle attached to her forearm. The bracelet was a cuff, about 2-inches in length, which extended down her arm. The metal bars bent and twisted like golden vines to form a decorative pattern that resembled a plant's natural growth. It was both stunning and beautifully intriguing to look at.

"It's the only real thing I have to remember my family by. Besides my grandfather of course."

"I see…it's really nice."

"Thanks." Melissa smiled again making Kairyn smile too.

As they stood there admiring Melissa parental memento, a ear-splitting explosion suddenly sounded from up the road. Snapping their heads in the direction of the eruptive noise, Kairyn and Melissa gasped as they saw a hovercar swerving precariously along the road. It appeared that the driver had somehow lost control of the vehicle as it pitched and turned left and right at extreme angles.

"What's that maniac doing?!" Kairyn exclaimed watching the delirious driver's erratic pattern.

"He's coming right for us!" Melissa squealed in panic. The driver had now mounted the pavement, ramming over streetlamps, crushing rubbish bins and was driving right at the pair of them.

"Run for it!" Kairyn shouted taking off in the opposite direction, grabbing Melissa's hand in his passing. The two of them sprinted as fast as they could, trying desperately to increase the distance between themselves and the crazed vehicle. The hovercar was quickly catching them up as they came to the alleyway. Charging over the road, past its entrance Melissa glanced back at the hovercar that was still giving chase. It was nearly upon them.

"Don't look back Melissa! Keep going!" Kairyn urged tugging at her and throwing her ahead of him. As he took his next step, Kairyn felt his foot catch something jutting out of the ground, forcing him to trip over. Kairyn hit the concrete hard all the while the hovercar was threatening to hit him head on.

"Kai! Kai look out!" Melissa shouted in fright. Kairyn tried to scramble to his feet but his panicked flailing proved little use in helping him escape the rampaging machine. Then, all of a sudden, the hovercar took an unexpected detour and swerved into the alley Kairyn and Melissa had just passed. After a few tense seconds, there was an almighty crash followed by the clattering of metal pieces. Breathless, Kairyn looked up at Melissa from his seat on the pavement.

"What the hell was that about?" he said puffing.

"I dunno. But that driver could be hurt. We should see if he's alright," Melissa said heading to the mouth of the alleyway. Picking himself up, Kairyn massaged his aching arm he had just fallen on and shadowed Melissa into the darkened alley where the hovercar had just crashed.

The alleyway wasn't very deep but it was inset far enough from the road that the light from the streets couldn't quite illuminate its entire length. At the far end, Melissa and Kairyn could make out the busted frame of the manic hovercar in the darkness. It lay on its side, blackened and scratched from its collision course with the wall at the opposite end. Kairyn and Melissa scanned the wreckage for any signs of life despite the severity of the crash.

"Whoa, what a smash," Melissa gasped edging closer.

"Looks like one of the hover panels blew. It's got a huge crack in it," Kairyn said examining the exposed underside of the totalled vehicle, "but how? These panels normally repel any loose debris that may pass underneath. There's no way something could have penetrated the anti-gravity field to make a tear like that."

"I can't see into the car. I dunno if the driver's still in there," Melissa said trying to peek through the windscreen.

"Let's try getting the door open," Kairyn suggested climbing on top of the toppled hovercar.

"Be careful Kai," Melissa urged as she watched Kairyn slowly inched his way along the vehicle's side to the door handle. Grasping the bar, Kairyn gave the door handle a tug but the door remained sealed.

"The door won't open. It must be locked from the inside," Kairyn said giving up on the handle.

"Can you see anyone inside?" Melissa asked. Kairyn bent down and pressed his face up against the window but the interior was too dark to make out anything.

"I…I can't see anyone. The inside's too dark to…" Kairyn started but then, he saw something shift in the blackness, "Hey! There's something moving in there!"

"Are they alright?" Melissa asked nervously.

"Hey! Are you okay in there?" Kairyn shouted through the glass but he failed to receive a reply, "Hey…are you hurt? We'll try to get you out."

"Kai, maybe we should call for help," Melissa suggested. She looked a little shaken and sounded more nervous the longer she stood in the vicinity of the buckled hovercar.

"Yeah sure," Kairyn agreed, dipping his hand into his pocket to reach for his Minicom. Before Kairyn could pull out the little computer, the window he had been trying to converse with the crash victim through shattered, throwing shards of glass up into the air. Kairyn yelled in fright as the shower of glass rained down around him, barely able to remain atop the hovercar.

"What the…?" Kairyn gasped as he brushed the loose pieces of glass off himself.

"You okay Kai?" Melissa called having shielded herself from the shrapnel as well.

"Yeah, but what the hell did…" Kairyn began, leaning over the side of now broken window pane. As he peered into the car again, Kairyn flinched as a hand burst out from the darkness. The sudden movement forced him to lose his balance and Kairyn toppled backwards off the hovercar. Landing heavily on his back, Kairyn groaned and rubbed the base of his spine.

"Kai! You okay? What happened?" Melissa called running to his aid.

"There's someone in there alright. He just punched through the window and freaked the crap outta me," Kairyn said standing up, still a little sore. Helping Kairyn up, the two teenagers stood looking up at the top of the car where Kairyn had just fallen from. From the glassless window, a figure pulled itself from the wreckage and stood on top of his inoperable vehicle.

"What…what is that?! What's wrong with that guy?" Melissa gasped pointing at the man who had just crawled out of the hovercar. The man stood tall but, even in the dim light, the man's complexion was unnaturally dark; almost completely jet black. His eyes glowed a mysterious yellow colour that failed to support a coloured pigment to the irises.

"H-help…help me…" he choked breathlessly, "for…for God's sake! Help…me!" He sounded like he was being strangled. Kairyn and Melissa merely stood still unable to believe what they were witnessing. The man appeared to be changing form but, it didn't look natural. It looked as though he was trying to resist it.

"What's the matter with him?" Kairyn asked now sounding fearfully. Melissa didn't answer as the man's groaning and struggling suddenly gave way to a loud roar. The man glowered down on Melissa and Kairyn; his eyes now fogged over from a bright yellow to a misty, blood red.

"I don't like the way he's looking at us…" Kairyn mumbled slowly. The man was now hunched over on all fours like an ape, glaring at them like an enraged animal. His movements and behaviour were no longer civil nor human as he punched the side of his own car in a frenzied rage. His skin was encrusted with a black texture like some sort of contamination had enveloped him.

"He's gone mad!" Melissa yelled as the crazed man leapt off the car and landed heavily on the concrete with a booming thud. Kairyn and Melissa back up into the alley, their eyes glued to the metamorphed man as he slowly trudged towards them with a stalking gait. Bumping into the back wall, Kairyn, although shaking with fear, stepped out in front of Melissa to shield her from the man.

"Back off you creep! Whatever the hell you are," he shouted at the blackened man. Whether by conscious understanding or instinctive reaction, the man roared at Kairyn and took a lunge at him. Screaming, Kairyn felt the man's powerful grip clamp down on his shoulders and began to wrestle with the insane man as he picked him up and pinned him against the wall. In a panic, Kairyn lifted his feet and shoved them hard into the man's chest with enough force to repel the attacker and send him back the way he came. Kairyn slid down the wall as the man released him but quickly got to his feet watching the man roll on the ground and stand up again. Scared stiff, Kairyn and Melissa stood backed up as far as they could to distance themselves from the madman. Glaring at them with his pupil-less, burning red eyes, the man suddenly leapt high into the air; much higher than any human could possibly achieve from a standing jump. From the peak of his flight, the man then descended down on the two kids from the air, his fingers extended like a falcon's talons waiting to strike.

Kairyn and Melissa yelled in fright as the man fell down on them. Then, from out of nowhere, there was a sound of flapping fabric followed by the swish of a something cutting through the air. In the blink of an eye, the man tumbled backwards and crash landed on his back a few metres away from Kairyn and Melissa's position. Just as the crazy man hit the concrete, a great slash drawn across his abdomen, another black figure landed between them and the fallen man. Unlike the man, this person was dressed in black and stood upright like a proper human. In the figure's right hand was a long, slim-bladed sword that he had just used to counter the man's strike. Kairyn and Melissa breathed in amazement at the speed at which the figure in black had just dispatched their attacker. He stood tall and confident despite the crazed antics of the rabid man. Finally able to find his voice again, Kairyn gasped as he quickly realised who was stood before them.

"You…you're…the Black Ghost!" he breathed in awe. The figure turned around to face them as they stood hunched up against the wall still too scared to move. He didn't say anything but he could tell it all from the horrified looks on their faces as they stared into the depths of his hood.

"Thank…you. Thank you for saving us," Melissa then said nervously, making a step towards the Black Ghost as he placed his weapon away.

"You need to get off the streets. It's not safe out here," the Black Ghost then said urgently.

"What is that thing? What happened to him?" Kairyn asked looking down at the fallen man who was still lying on the ground.

"He's been corrupted. The curse has been unleashed…it's already starting to take effect," the Black Ghost said solemnly.

"Corrupted? Curse? What do you mean?" Melissa asked warily.

"Someone's tampering with forces they do not understand. This is the result of such meddling. It looks like time is a lot shorter than I thought," the Black Ghost said sternly, before turning to look Kairyn and Melissa in the eye even though he knew they could not see his, "You need to get to safety. Keep off the streets and watch out for…"

The Black Ghost did not get to finish his sentence when something leapt on him from behind. Kairyn and Melissa jumped back in fright as they saw the fallen man had gotten up and pounced on the Black Ghost's back. Struggling with the reformed man, the Black Ghost ran backwards into the wall crushing the man between his back and the brickwork. Then, reaching over his head, the Black Ghost grabbed the man by his neck and threw the madman over his head sending him slamming into hovercar that still sat on its side in the middle of the alleyway. The man hit the floor but quickly bounced to his feet again ready to attack. The Black Ghost drew his sword and, in a blink, thrust his blade forward catching the man in the chest. The blade skewed the crazed man as the Black Ghost plunged the blade into the hovercar pinning the monstrous human. Kairyn and Melissa turned away as the blow hit, unable to look. They could hear the man scrambling and scratching at the side of the car in fits of rage and pain. Eventually, the clattering grew fainter and the man's flailing ceased. Kairyn and Melissa slowly looked up again to see the Black Ghost withdraw his sword from the car and the man and with a swinging flick, he sheathed his weapon back under his long black coat. The corrupted man fell to the ground unmoving, his bloodthirsty, red eyes had faded like failing beams of light leaving dark, black, marble-like balls in their place.

"Is he…?" Melissa asked sheepishly moving alongside the Black Ghost who stood over his slain monster as the body suddenly disintegrated into black dust and evaporated into the air.

"This one is…but he was just the first of many more to come," the Black Ghost said seriously.

"You mean there're more of them out there?!" Kairyn exclaimed in horror.

"There will be now; or at least very soon. Get to cover and stay there. Hopefully, it's not too late to stop this from happening." The Black Ghost made a step forwards but Melissa called to him.

"W-wait! Where are you going?" she beckoned.

"To see what has caused this nightmare and hopefully prevent the curse from spreading." With that, the Black Ghost took off down and out of the alleyway with lightning speed.

"H-HEY! Hey wait!" Kairyn called running after him but by the time he had reached the pavement of the street, the Black Ghost was gone.

"What the hell is going on here? What was he talking about? What curse?" Kairyn said gazing up and down the deserted road as Melissa walked up behind him.

"I don't know but I've got a bad feeling about all this," Melissa said suddenly feeling self-conscious, "we should get to the Keltech Building as soon as possible, I don't feel safe out here anymore."

"You got that right. Come on, it's just up this way. Let's go," Kairyn said. Sticking close together, their eyes constantly scanning for anything out of the ordinary, Kairyn and Melissa made their way to the Keltech Building where, hopefully, they felt they could find sanctuary from the pandemonium that had unveiled itself tonight. If what the Black Ghost had said was true, they were all in grave danger.


	12. A Destiny Born From Tradegy

Chapter 11: A Destiny Born From Tragedy

Strolling down a brightly lit corridor, a tall man dressed all in black made his way to a pair of double doors that stood at the very end. His brisk pace gave evidence that he was delivering something of great importance. The man's clapping footsteps came to a stop at the ominous double doors at the corridor's far end. Extending his hand, the uniformed man hit an intercom button positioned to the right hand side of the doors on a silvery plaque. After a few seconds, a drawling voice broke through the buzzing static.

"…Yes…what is it?" the voice said somewhat irritably.

"Sir…Captain Clifford reporting. My team have returned from our mission," the man said into the intercom.

"Already? What is the mission status Captain," the man asked.

"Mission accomplished. We succeeded in extricating our subject as well as cross referencing the target landmarks."

"Where is the subject now?" the voice asked. It sounded much more enthusiastic and intrigued by the captain's presence.

"The subject is being prepped for cryo-status analysis in the research laboratories. All vital signs appear stable and unaffected by the teleportation travels; as are the team."

"Excellent, I will be down to the cryo-chambers momentarily. Captain Clifford, you and your team are to prepare for a full debrief immediately. I want a full report on the mission asap."

"Of course sir. We'll await your arrival to the briefing room."

"Good, that will be all. Tell Professor Clements and Professor Taylor to oversee the preparation but no one is to dare begin examination until I get there."

"Yes sir." The captain said before the static fizzled out and the intercom fell silent again. Turning on his heels, Captain Clifford headed back the way he came, his hefty black boots clapping the marble floor with pride on completion of his task.

--

The foyer entrance to the Keltech Building was a grand feature with its many gold-rimmed revolving doors. The main portal into the luminous spire where the foyer was even grander. Given their bizarre encounter with the deranged driver out on the streets, Kairyn and Melissa felt relieved to be within the sanctuary of the mighty building's four walls.

"Woo…finally made it," Kairyn puffed. He glanced over at Melissa but was surprised to realise that she was no longer standing next to him. Looking up ahead, Melissa had wasted no time in walking up to the elaborate front desk to confront the security guard posted there. The guard, completely oblivious to Melissa's presence, had his face ducked down, buried mere inches from the computer screen hidden behind the desk.

"Erm…excuse me…I'm looking for…" Melissa began but the busied guard spoke over her.

"I'll be right with you…just gimme a sec," the guard said without looking up at her, "gotta sort out these terminals before Schneider finds out and chews me up."

"That's okay. I just wanted to know where…" Melissa started again but the guard interrupted her again.

"Toilets? Nearest lot are on the second floor. Ladies on the left, blokes on the right," the guard babbled still refusing to avert his eyes from his screen.

"No, no. I'm looking for someone…Professor Clements," Melissa explained as Kairyn strolled up alongside her.

"Sorry. All scientist personnel are currently unavailable due to the nature of their work along with other security protocols…oh dammit! What the…" the guard cursed slamming his hands on the desk's work surface in frustration. Clearly, whatever he was trying to do, he was not having much success. Melissa and Kairyn glanced at each other blankly for a moment before looking back at the occupied guard.

"Look, we just need to see her grandfather. Where is he?" Kairyn said leaning over the desk to try and catch the guard's eye but he was still far too engrossed in his terminal than to acknowledge the pair of them stood in front of him.

"No visitors allowed without security clearance," the guard said gruffly, his agitation with his computer steadily growing.

"But I have clearance…here," Melissa announced producing a small, plastic, transparent card and placed it on the counter. Eyes still glued to the screen, the guard groped blindly on the surface for the card he saw the girl put down out of the corner of his peripheral vision. Finding it, he slid the card between his face and the screen and upon reading the words and code trapped in the vacant space of the card's transparency, he suddenly paused, looked up for the first time and quickly hopped to his feet, completely abandoning his task he was so deadlocked to a moment ago.

"You must be Melissa Trine, Professor Clements's granddaughter," the guard said as if he were now addressing royalty, "forgive my ignorance just then. Trying to fix a little bug in one of our terminal operating systems that…I may of…accidently planted there myself. First day on the job and I've already made a mess of things." He held out the card over the counter and Melissa took it.

"It's okay," she smiled replacing the card in her pocket. The guard, now taking in his two enquirers turned to Kairyn.

"Whoa. You look like my mate Tyronne…only…a lot shorter," the guard said to him.

"Tyronne Taylor you mean?" Kairyn asked feeling a little insulted by the guard's remark.

"Yeah, you know him?" the guard piped.

"…he's my older brother…" Kairyn replied unimpressively.

"Oh for real? So your dad's Professor Stephen Taylor right? The one everyone talks about; hails him a genius."

Kairyn rolled his eyes, "Yeah I guess so."

"Can you tell us where they are? I have a few things for my grandfather," Melissa asked feeling more comfortable talking to a face rather than the top of a shaven head.

"Yeah sure…hold on a sec, I'll check." The guard wheeled his chair over to another computer terminal and tapped in some commands on the floating holographic keyboard.

"They're up on floor 203 near the cryo-rooms. I've updated the security protocol for your code card so the elevator tubes should take you straight up there. You've got access to his rooms up there but please make sure you sign in with the security desk up there first so they know you're there," the guard explained, "oh, and this is for your boyfriend."

Kairyn felt his stomach flip suddenly, "Boyfriend?!" He snapped an uneasy glanced over at Melissa who sniggered at his dumbfounded expression.

"Make sure you wear this security pin at all times otherwise you might upset the alarm systems. The last thing you want is a gunner Cambot chasin' you down." Kairyn feinted a weak smile, took the small metal badge placed on the desk and fastened it to his chest.

"You're good to go. The elevator tubes are at the back," the guard said pointing over his head with his thumb, "oh, and have a nice day."

"Thank you," Melissa said with a warm smile. Kairyn refused to respond, merely wandered around the side of the kiosk and headed for the elevator tubes.

"He was nice," Melissa said at the glass doors parted allowing them inside the long cylindrical shaft and onto the elevator platform.

"That's a matter of opinion," Kairyn mumbled as a disembodied female voice sweetly sang, "Going up" just before the platform jetted skywards.

Within a few seconds, the force of the shooting platform seemed to lessen. The glowing numerical display that hung above the exit quickly tallied up until it hit "203" which triggered the voice to echo. The platform came to a stop where the voice then gave a command Kairyn hadn't heard the lift give before.

"Please register security clearance by showing your I.D to the scanner." Kairyn looked at Melissa in unaltered confusion as she strolled up to the small panel to the right of the doors, just underneath the numerical pad for level selection. She flashed her card up to the transparent square on the wall where it blipped and verified.

"Let the scanner see your badge," Melissa then told Kairyn as he stood at the back of the lift still a little bewildered by the security clearance call.

"I've never been this high in the building before. I've only ever been to Dad's labs a few times when I was younger. But he was always with me at the time," he explained pulling the badge up to the security scanner. As with Melissa's card, the scanner beeped in verification but this time, the lift tube doors slid open.

Melissa and Kairyn stepped out into the vast hallway as the lift tube doors closed behind them. Kairyn stood gazing down the long, marble corridor. Despite his childhood memories of the Keltech Building, he had never seen these floors. A whole new experience in a world he already thought he knew had just been unveiled. Melissa walked forward and approached the security desk which was just tucked away around the left corner of the entrance way

"Hi Mr Madden," Melissa said to a rugged looking man in the same uniform as the guard at the kiosk in the main foyer.

"Why hullo there Miss Trine. Nice teh see yeh again," the man said with a gruffly tone of kindness, "on yeh usual rounds for your grandfather eh?"

"As always," Melissa beamed as she handed him her security card, "is he around Mr Madden? The guy at the front desk said he was up here."

"I believe he's on his way teh one of the cryo-labs. News is they got on the somethin' big. Some big new discovery has bin unveiled. But we had a power cut not the long ago. So all da scientists are running about like frightened field mice checkin' every las' bit o' detail from der machines teh their PDAs and what not…getting' themselves all worked up." The guard handed Melissa back her card and smiled,

"All checked Miss Trine." Melissa nodded and returned the smile just as Kairyn approached the desk. The burly guard blinked in slight awe when he caught a glimpse of his face.

"Well now. You wouldn't 'appen teh be Professor Taylor's young lad now would yeh?" the guard asked. The expression on his face gave Kairyn the idea that the man already knew the answer to his own question before Kairyn had even spoken.

"Yeah, I'm Kairyn," he replied slightly nervously. His father's reputation throughout Keltech seemed to give him immediate, if not unintentional, stardom as Kairyn allowed his hand to be compressed in the guard's giant, paw-like hand as they locked together in a brisk handshake.

"My word. If ya ain't the spittin' image of the ol' doc himself," the guard chortled, "you chuck on a lab coat and you could pass off as the brainbox himself." Kairyn gave another timorous smile, his hand still throbbing a little from the crushing vice-grip handshake.

"You 'ere with Miss Trine are yeh? Come teh see yeh Papa too?" Kairyn nodded, trying his utmost to keep the conversation to a bare minimum, "they should be up in the labs up ahead. Lemme just scan dat little broach o' yer's and yeh can get on ya way." The guard stood up from the desk, took what appeared to be a large, flat, handheld, black paddle from the desk and passed it over the badge pinned to Kairyn's chest. The paddle bleeped and the guard replaced it back behind the desk.

"Right. Yeh all cleared da pair 'o yeh. The labs are down the hall. Keep followin' it til yeh reach the T-junction at the end. Yeh folks are around dat area somewhere. I'm s'posed the take ya there meself, but I think I can trust the young'uns of two o' da greatest minds this comp'ny's ever seen," the guard said giving them both a quick wink.

"Thanks Mr Madden. Take care now," Melissa said as she smiled. Kairyn flicked up his hand limply as a means of farewell and quickly hurried after Melissa who had already started down the long hall.

"Tah-rah kids!" the guard bellowed, swinging his bear-sized paw through the air.

Relieved to have finally gotten away from the security checkpoint, Kairyn walked alongside Melissa as they made their way down to the cryo-labs. Their footsteps clapped loudly on the marble floor which reverberated down the blistering white walls. The area seemed strangely desolate given the large number of chrome doors embedded at irregular intervals on both side of the corridor.

"Geez, are all the guards here that unhealthily cheery?" Kairyn asked with a concerned snigger, "it's like they're all brainwashed to act so…chirpy."

"I know what you mean but I think it's nice of them to act so pleasant despite the fact they all carry a firearm with them," Melissa smiled, "kinda gives off a mixed message."

Kairyn's snigger lightened at Melissa's statement, "Maybe they could help my brother out with his anger management issues," he laughed.

"Hey. You said your brother works here now. Maybe we'll get to see him on shift tonight," Melissa said optimistically.

"I hope not. I'd rather find my dad rather than Tyronne. Somehow I think that vendetta still stands on me after I made him spill hot coffee down the front of his new uniform this morning," Kairyn replied cringing at the thought of what twisted way his brother would torture and inflict pain on him once they were within each other's company again.

"Sibling rivalry that bad huh?" Melissa quizzed, still smiling.

"You have no idea," Kairyn emphasised.

Before long, the pair soon reached the T-junction at the end of the corridor as the guard had described. On the opposite wall, directly in front of them, hung a glowing neon blue sign indicating that they had reached the cryo-labs.

"Well, we found the labs no problem. Now, where do we find our folks?" Melissa pondered, torn between the decision to check lab route one to twenty-three to the left, or route twenty-four to forty-three to the right.

"I'd say flip a coin…if they existed anymore," Kairyn jested through his obvious indecisiveness on selecting a route.

"Let's try…this way," Melissa suggested, deciding to head down the right hand path.

"Why that way?"

"Dunno…just a feeling. And I'm feeling lucky," Melissa beamed as she started down the right corridor. Kairyn smirked but without a persuasive argument of his own, he followed her without further question.

Literally having turned the first corner past laboratory twenty-six, Kairyn immediately spotted a memorable face out of the sea of white lab coats mass populating the corridor.

"Dad?" he called to the gabble of scientists that were congregated outside one of the lab rooms. One head swivelled around in response to the call.

"Kai?" a warming male voice replied as Professor Taylor burrowed his way out of the bundle of white coats, "Kai, what are you doing here? How'd you get this high up without clearance?"

"I had a little help," Kairyn said motioning in Melissa's direction.

"Why Melissa, it's been a while my dear. How are you?" Professor Taylor said with a wide smile.

"I'm fine thank you Professor Taylor," Melissa replied shyly, "I'm on runs for grandfather. Have you seen him?"

"He's in one of the labs up ahead. We've just had our recon team return with a rather interesting find to support our current project. Your grandfather and I are leading the research side of it all under the watchful eye of the head of research department, Nigel Thorne. Hence…the mother's meeting here. Pretty exciting stuff."

"Sounds like it," Melissa said. Professor Taylor nodded before turning to his son.

"So what brings you here Kai? It's not like you to make social calls."

"I erm…sorta locked myself out. I came to ask if I could borrow your door pass to get back in," Kairyn said feeling rather foolish.

"Spaced out on games again I presume," Professor Taylor said with slurred dissatisfaction. Before Kairyn could return a comment in his defence, his father continued.

"Well, I've got to give you credit for dragging yourself all the way up here just for my keycard. It's in my briefcase in the lab…I'll go get it. Oh, and I'll tell Theodore you're waiting for him Melissa."

"Thank you Professor Taylor," Melissa said.

"Thanks Dad," Kairyn joined in. Professor Taylor smiled before turning to the congealed mass of scientists still blocking the hallway, but with a few short, sharp claps, he ushered them to be on their way allowing him passage to his laboratory further down the hall.

"This find must be something really big if all the scientists show that much interest," Melissa said as the corridor instantly fell silent.

"Yeah, especially if the head of department is overseeing it all," Kairyn added.

"Have you ever met the head of department?" Melissa asked but Kairyn shook his head.

"No, never…well not that I can remember anyway," he replied.

"Me neither. He's supposed to be quite the scientist although not much is said about him," Melissa said.

Then, as Kairyn and Melissa stood conversing, awaiting their respective relatives to return to them, the lights suddenly flashed out plunging the corridor and its surrounding laboratories into immediate darkness.

"Whoa! What the hell?" Kairyn gasped, now completely blind by the sudden blackout.

"What happened there?" Melissa asked as she searched the dark for Kairyn. Then, all of a sudden, from out of the blackness, came the sound of voices. They were muffled by the thick walls but they could be heard out in the corridor. By the sounds of the voices, there were a lot of them.

"What's that?" Kairyn asked starting to feel unnerved, "it…it sounds like…people yelling…"

"It's coming from one of the labs," Melissa said, her voice nervous and disturbed. As they listened closer, the yells turned to screams of the most fearful sense of panic. Thumping and pounding could be heard coming from somewhere up the corridor but the darkness masked exactly where the sound was coming from.

Then, the ringing screams and pounding suddenly silenced, dipping the darkness into further depths of oddity; adding to the eerie aura. All of a sudden, just as quickly as they had been extinguished, the lighting strips suddenly illuminated again. Kairyn blinked rapidly as the glare that fogged his vision slowly lifted allowing the amoebic globules of colour to form distinguishable shapes once again.

"What was that all about?" Melissa asked rubbing her eyes, "and what was all that shouting about?" Kairyn didn't answer her. He slowly made his way over to the nearest laboratory door.

"It…it might have been coming from here…" he said cautiously. Melissa slowly followed him up to the lab's security door. On their approach, the door slid upwards to reveal the contents of the room which forced the pair to gasp in horror.

"My God! What…what's happened?!" Melissa breathed through her hands which were clamped over her mouth. Kairyn scanned the room in shock. The room was looked like it had been ransacked as various pieces of expensive looking equipment lay toppled on the work surfaces and the floor along with a snowfall of papers. More disturbing was the sight of every single scientist that had entered the lab. By their fallen positions, it looked as though they were attacked by something yet not a single body bore any trace of damage upon them. Still, all of them lay totally immobile in twisted positions on the cold floor.

"Are…are they…are they dead?" Melissa asked apprehensively. Kairyn moved into the room and, kneeled next to the nearest scientist, he placed his fingertips on the man's neck.

"I…I can't feel anything…" Kairyn replied recoiling his now shaking hand, "I…I think they're dead…" Melissa's face began to drain of colour as Kairyn backed over to her.

"But…what could have done this?!" They…they don't even look hurt!"

"I don't know but I don't think I wanna stay in this room any longer," Kairyn said nervously as he made a beeline for the door. Melissa, unable to look at the unmoving bodies any more, turned and followed Kairyn out into the corridor.

"We need to warn someone about this," Melissa said quickly as the door slid shut behind them. Kairyn nodded hurryingly. The sight of all the suddenly deceased scientists had now seem to have robbed him of the ability to speak.

Just as they were about to set back off to the security desk, Kairyn suddenly heard another cry. This time, it was even further down the hall.

"Did you hear that?" he called to Melissa who was already about to head off back towards the security desk, "it sounds like someone's in trouble."

"Kairyn, there's no time! Those scientists all just lost their lives somehow. We've got to warn the guard!" Melissa protested. Kairyn knew Melissa was right but just as took a step to follow her, the voice yelled out again. The voice suddenly tied a wrenching knot in his stomach. It was a voice that he recognised.

"Dad?" Kairyn called. Without a second thought, Kairyn turned around and shot off in the opposite direction.

"Kairyn! Kairyn, what are you doing?!" Melissa called to his back but he didn't respond.

Kairyn ran at full sprint to the sound of his father's crying voice. Tracing it to another laboratory further down the corridor, he stopped at the door which did not open as he approached. Without any way to see into the room, Kairyn pressed on the door hoping it would open, but to no avail.

"Dad?" he called through the door but no one replied. Kairyn then heard another voice speak from inside the room beyond the sealed door.

"So, it is you meddling with affairs you do not understand," the voice said. Its tone was low, cold and harsh, "Do you even realise what you've unleashed upon the world? What this "dark matter" is truly capable of?"

"Wha…what are you talking about? Unleashed what?" Professor Taylor's voice trembled from the other side of the room.

The second voice sighed, "I don't have time…now, tell me. Where is my friend? I know he's here…"

"W-what? Your friend? I don't know who you mean," the professor's voice replied quaking with fear.

"Don't lie to me. If you've got this in your possession, I know he's here!" the voice barked. Kairyn listened closely. He heard the sound of something hit the floor and jingle as it bounced and hit the floor.

"Now…last time…where is he?"

"I told you…I don't know who you're talking about."

"…Wrong answer…" the second voice then said. The tone was now dark and threatening. Kairyn flinched from the door as he heard his father give a desperate cry along quickly followed by a loud clattering. Grunts of discomfort emanated from the room which gave the impression that a struggle had broken out inside the lab. As the crashes and clatters of the room continued behind the chrome curtain, Kairyn's mind began to burn with images of what the second entity could possibly be doing to his father in his own laboratory.

"Hey! Dad! Dad! What's going on?! DAD!" Kairyn screamed. He was now pounding on the door with his fist. Then, for the first time, he heard his father acknowledge him.

"Kairyn! Kairyn go for help! There's an intruder in here! Get security!" Professor Taylor yelled. His breathing sounded heavy and difficult.

"Dad! Get out of there! Open the door!" Kairyn continued to cry, his clenched fist still hammering on the defiant lab door. Suddenly, there was a sickening sound of a slicing impact hitting its target. Kairyn felt his blood run ice cold as the sound preceded a painful cry from his father.

"Dad?! DAD!" Kairyn screamed though the door. The room has suddenly fallen silent but this did not convince Kairyn's frayed nerves that the situation had been resolved in his favour. Suddenly, out from the stillness, came a quick, high-pitched whistle just beyond the door. Before Kairyn could react, a tremendous explosion erupted behind the door which shattered, throwing thick metal shards out into the corridor. The force of the blast picked Kairyn up off his feet and launched him backwards in the marble wall. Kairyn winced on impact as he peeled from the wall and fell to his hands and knees trying to catch his lost breath. Smoke enveloped the doorway, obscuring his view as he looked up. Still, Kairyn could see a figure in the clotted air standing inside the room. A soft wind blew past Kairyn's face as he mustered the strength to find his feet and stumbled into the room through the dirty curtain of smoke.

Passing into the laboratory where he heard his father's pleas for help, Kairyn took a second to regain his senses from through the choking veil. The room was a mess with every possible item that could be physically moved either dislodged, broken or completely toppled over. Staring into the room, Kairyn quickly found himself stood in front of the figure that stood beyond the smoke. Draped from head to toes, all in black, was the iconic enigma he had heard so much about and had the unintended pleasure of meeting out on the streets not too long ago. The Black Ghost stood facing the ground as if he had not noticed Kairyn standing right next to him. Before Kairyn could utter a work from his hanging mouth, a strained groan sounded just to his right.

"DAD!" Kairyn yelped in horror. Sat with his back up against the wall, breathing heavily, was Professor Taylor. His hand was clamped to his left side where his white lab coat was stained a deep red. Kairyn ran and slid on his knees next to his father whose face was pale and damp with sweat.

"Dad! Dad! What happened to you?!" Kairyn exclaimed horrified by the sight of his injured father.

"K…Kairyn…" the professor said in between husky breaths. He lurched and gritted his teeth in pain which made Kairyn panic. His mind was flushed clear of conscious thought on seeing the bloodstain patch on his father's coat growing. As the professor fidgeted, Kairyn got a glimpse at the wound on the left side of his father's stomach as he lifted his hand off the bloodied patch. In amongst the profuse bleeding, he noticed a long gash extending along the professor's stomach. Looking back at the figure in black, he noticed the mysterious man was holding a thin-bladed sword which he quickly placed underneath his long coat. A blinding flash then shot across Kairyn's mind. Something sank in his gut. It squirmed there before changing…metamorphosing. Then, it exploded within the depths of his stomach. The initial feeling of shock and horror had suddenly transmuted and amalgamated into something much more powerful. An uncontrollable surge of hatred and rage. And every last ounce of it was directed at the Black Ghost who stood unaffected by the violent scene; as if he appeared to enjoy it. Kairyn gritted his teeth and eyed the vacant space in the man's dark hood with malice as the heat of his emotions coursed through him.

"You…you…did this?" Kairyn said so lowly it was almost a whisper. The Black Ghost didn't respond.

"You…YOU BASTARD!" Kairyn screamed launching himself at the Black Ghost, his right hand raised and clenched. The Black Ghost moved effortlessly to the side allowing Kairyn's wild swing to hit nothing but air. Kairyn stumbled with the miss but turned quickly attempting another punch but he suddenly found the point of a sword directly in front of his nose separated by a mere inch.

"Don't be a fool kid. Unless you want to end up like your father…"he said dangerously. Kairyn tried with all his might to suppress the burning rage flaring up through him. His trembling hands were itching to inflict as much pain on the Black Ghost as he could muster but his mind screamed for him not to cast aside sound judgement.

Stood faced off against each other, Kairyn remained taut and remorseful just beyond the full length of the Black Ghost's blade. All of a sudden, the entire lab let out a blaring warning siren and the walls flickered a dangerous shade of red. Kairyn and the Black Ghost broke eye contact for the first time since their scuffle and looked up at the walls as a robotic feminine voice piped over the tannoy:

"WARNING! SECURITY ALERT! ALL AVAILABLE SECURITY PERSONNEL TO THE CRYO-LABS IMMEDIATELY! WARNING! SECURITY ALERT!..."

"_Melissa must have gotten to the guard at the security desk,_" Kairyn thought, "_this guy's got no hope of escaping now._"

Looking back down from the pulsating red walls, Kairyn looked forward again. To his surprise, the Black Ghost was no longer standing before him. A short gust of wind caught his face, forcing Kairyn to look towards the destroyed doorway. Just out of the corner of the jagged doorframe, a flick of the black coat passed for a split second before disappearing from sight. Kairyn felt a jolt shudder down his spine as he saw the Black Ghost retreating into the corridor.

"K…Kairyn…" Professor Taylor strained when he saw that fiery flicker in his son's eye. Stopping on his first step, Kairyn turned to face his injured father. His well of hatred and anger instantly evaporated when he looked down on his father whose wound was still bleeding heavily.

"Don't worry Dad…help's on the way. Just hold on!" Kairyn said hurryingly.

"No…no…come here…I need you here…" Professor Taylor urged; he was squirming with discomfort. Kairyn ran over to his wounded father and knelt beside him.

"I'm here Dad! Don't worry…the security team's coming," Kairyn reassured him trying to show a brave smile. The professor smiled through his pain at his son's face which was flushed and panicked despite the smile.

"I…I want you to take…take this. Keep it safe…" the professor said as he slid his hand down into his pocket. Kairyn watched tentatively as his father withdrew his hand, something locked in the palm of his hand. Without unveiling what he had just retrieved, Professor Taylor scooped up Kairyn's hand gingerly and hovered his second hand over his son's open palm. Unfurling one finger at a time, with some perceivable difficulty, Kairyn felt something fall into his hand. Feeling his father's grip loosen on his hand, Kairyn drew it back and look at what he had just been given. Kairyn was lost in thoughts so deep that the blaring sirens and chanting of the warning message had all but silenced around him.

"What is this Dad?" Kairyn asked.

"Kairyn…keep this…safe. You…have to continue…my research…as to what…it can do. Find out…how to unlock its full…full potential…" Professor Taylor said breathlessly.

"Wha…Dad? I…I don't…understand. What do you mean?" Kairyn stammered nervously. He began to notice his father's breathing becoming husky and heavier.

"Dad! Dad please! Hold on!" Kairyn begged as he watched his father's chest rise and sink laboriously. Sweat poured from his already dampened brow as readily as the blood from his gaping wound.

"Dad? Dad!"

"Kairyn…I…I couldn't uncover…what this could do. I…I need you to…help find out…what…what it can do. What it's…it's capable of. If…if what that man…says is true…something terrible…could be about to start."

"What? What's about to start? Dad…I don't…I don't know if I can do what you're asking me to do."

"Don't worry son…I know you can do this. Your old man has…a pretty good feeling about it. I know I was never…never around much. I know I missed…a lot of big stages in your life Kai…and for that…I am sorry." The professor gave a husky sigh, trying to find the breath to continue, "looks…looks like I…won't get the chance…now. I let…my work distract me…from the things in life…that truly mattered."

"Dad, what are you talking about? Stop talking like that!" Kairyn said, his voice cracking with welling emotion.

Just then, through the deafening alarm, Kairyn could hear the pattering of hurried footsteps coming from outside the room. Kairyn turned back to his father who had slumped down the wall a little further.

"Hold on Dad! The team is coming…Dad? DAD!" Kairyn shook his father who failed to respond immediately.

"K-Kairyn…promise me. Say you will…help me discover…that stone's secrets. It could…help reverse…what may be due…due to come…" Professor Taylor said wearily.

"But Dad…I,"

"Please son…promise me…" Kairyn paused for a second and looked down at the strange yellow, triangular stone in his hand. Even in the strobing red light, the stone's bright golden glow shimmered with unparalleled radiance. Closing his fingers around the stone, Kairyn looked down at his father with a tear in his eye and nodded slowly.

"…Okay Dad…I promise…I will help you…" he said bravely through his sniffling.

The professor hauled his hand up and rest it atop Kairyn's clenched fist and smiled warmly.

"….Thank you son…" he sighed. The professor began to slouch down the wall, his body slackening as his breathing gradually became increasingly shallow with every draw of air.

"Dad! Dad please! Don't go!" Kairyn pleaded shaking his vigorously. The professor looked at him with the same smile.

"…You…and…Tyronne…take care…of…each other…" he managed to say on one final exhale. With that, the professor's eyes rolled shut and he lay on the ground, completely still.

"Dad? Dad! Dad, wake up! Damn it Dad! DAMN IT, WAKE UP!" Kairyn screamed bursting into tears as he felt his father's grip loosen on his hand and fall to the floor.

Moments later, a mass of bodies leapt into the lab on hearing Kairyn's cries and sobbing. Kairyn looked back at the crowd congregating in the doorway with a tear-stained face. All the men and women dressed in security uniforms stood in horrified awe at the sight of Kairyn knelt at the side of his father. Suddenly, though the crowd, a voice order people to move out of the way. Barging through the row of guards and jumping out in front was Tyronne. His face twisted and gaunt with horror as he took in the disturbing scene.

"Oh God…Kai! Kai…what happened?" Tyronne breathed.

"Tyronne," Kairyn bawled as his brother came over to him, "Dad…he's dead…Dad is dead!" Tyronne scanned over his wounded father but nothing seemed to sink in.

"But…how? What did this?!" Tyronne babbled, his own voice breaking. Kairyn's expression then turned malicious as Tyronne's question processed in his mind.

"He did it…" Kairyn said darkly, his eyes still brimming with tears, "the Black Ghost did it. He killed Dad!"

"The Black Ghost?!" Tyronne gasped. The mere mention of the enigmatic man's name instantly sparked nervous chatter amongst the security team.

Suddenly, a thunderous booming voice immediately took command of the pandemic.

"Vot da hell is goin' on here?" Captain Schneider bellowed at a pitch well above that of the siren as he strode into the room. It didn't take him long to analyse the situation.

"My God! Provessor Taylor! VOT HAPPENED HERE?!" he boomed.

"It was the Black Ghost sir…he's here!" Tyronne exclaimed trying his hardest to keep any trace of emotion from his voice in front of his superior.

"Team…van out! Search all areas! I vont zee person responsible vor zees atrocity found and detained immediately! GO!" the captain barked. Like a field of frightened rabbits, the group of security guards instantly shot out into the corridor.

"Taylor! You come wit' me! You need to initiate the security lockdown."

"Sir…what about my brother?" Tyronne protested.

"It zees too dangerous for him to be outzide. He will hav' to stay here vor now. Get the lockdown started so vee can zeal off dee area!"

"Y-yes sir!" Tyronne shouted back as strong as he could through his grievance. Tyronne stood up and headed to the door behind Captain Schneider.

"W-wait! Tyronne," Kairyn beseeched.

"Kai, you need to wait here. If that madman is lurking about he could be anywhere. Once I engage the lockdown I'll come back for you," Tyronne said glancing back over his shoulder. Kairyn nodded acceptingly knowing there was nothing more for it as he watched his brother disappear out into the corridor.

Kairyn sighed in defeat as the room became vacant. Unsettled by the sight of his father's lifeless body, Kairyn picked himself up and turned to the door; his head hung low. Opening his palm, he stared down at the triangular stone Professor Taylor had given to him. Lost in a sea of turbulent thoughts, Kairyn broke his entranced gaze and forcefully shoved the stone into his pocket.

"Kairyn?" a sweet-toned voice then piped from the doorway. Kairyn looked up to find himself at eye level with Melissa.

"Are you okay?" she asked sympathetically but Kairyn's watery eyes and dampened cheeks spoke his true answer despite his solemn head nod.

"I'm…I'm so sorry…" Melissa said softly, her head dipped shyly.

"It's okay, it's not your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for," Kairyn said to her wiping his tear-stained face. He glanced down at his father again who looked more at peace now his pain could no longer be felt. Melissa walked up to him as he stood silently in the centre of the chaotic lab with the siren still screaming overhead. The atmosphere became tense and awkward as Melissa tried to find the right words to console Kairyn for his loss. Strangely enough for Kairyn, just having her stood with him was comfort enough regardless of the pandemonium going on around them. Yet still, he could not have imagined that on an ordinary day such as this, he would have to witness his own father perish before his eyes.

"The Black Ghost did it…" Kairyn finally said finding enough strength to speak over the siren.

"What?" Melissa gasped alarmed.

"The Black Ghost murdered my dad…he was in here when I found my dad hurt," Kairyn continued. His voice sounded somewhat dark yet still a little hoarse.

"The Black Ghost was here?!" Melissa exclaimed, "but…why would he…"

Kairyn quickly cut in, "I don't know….but he's going to pay for what he's done." Melissa suddenly felt uneasy by Kairyn's dangerous and low tone of voice. Although she had only known him for a short time, this side of him she quickly found unnerving.

"Kairyn…" she started but she held her tongue when she looked at his face in the pulsing light. It was pursed and rigid, hideously uncharacteristic for what she thought was a kind-tempered nature he had. Their eyes locked for a moment but the sudden clattering of feet out in the corridor broke their concentration.

A small squad of guards jogged past the buckled doorway from right to left. It was obvious they had not located Professor Taylor's killer. Kairyn then looked up at the doorway as the guards disappeared from sight and let out a disappointed sigh. Despite his anger, it seemed hopeless that the Black Ghost could ever be captured by the security. Then, Kairyn twitched as he saw a shadow drop down in front of the door from the ceiling. Kairyn felt a sharp jolt in the pit of his stomach.

"It's him!" Kairyn breathed to Melissa, his eyes wide with astonishment. Melissa whipped around, her blonde hair caressed by the air with her sweeping turn. She gasped as she saw the shrouded figure in black stretch to standing, perfectly framed in the twisted doorway.

"It IS him! The Black Ghost!" she whispered awestruck. Somehow, the mere mention of his name flicked a mental switch within Kairyn. His dumbfounded awe instantly transmuted into a gut-wrenching which simultaneously reflected in his body language. With his fists clenched and his teeth grinding, Kairyn watched as the Black Ghost suddenly took off to the right and out of view.

Following his lead, entrapped in his own blind fit of rage, Kairyn roared as he sped off out into the corridor to give chase.

"No! Kairyn, don't!" Melissa cried trying to grab his hand as he dashed past her. Her hand hit and slipped off his wrist before she could close her fingers around it. In a blink, Kairyn had taken off in pursuit of the Black Ghost.

Feet pounding the icy, marble floor, Kairyn sprinted headlong down the corridor. He was determined to see to it that the Black Ghost was seized and he got exactly what he deserved. In Kairyn's mind, that penalty would be nothing short of death. The environmental ambience of the alarm and tannoy were all but white noise in his ears as he ran as fast as he could to catch up with the Black Ghost. Banking a corner, Kairyn paused as he saw the corridor up ahead was completely deserted. Breathing heavily, Kairyn eyed the area dumbstruck. How in the world did the Black Ghost just disappear like that? Just then, Kairyn saw a lab door just ahead, to the right, drop and seal shut. Without a second thought, Kairyn ran to the door which flew upwards allowing him access to the room. Stepping inside, Kairyn scanned the laboratory.

Unlike the other labs, this one was distinctly larger in size. The walls were packed with computer terminals directly opposite the door. Their screens showing graphs and other data that had little meaning to anyone unlinked to the department's line of work. Kairyn glanced to his left and saw a number of large, glass, cylindrical tubes standing atop cold metal pedestals. Each one containing a strange, glowing black orb with a purplish core that sparked stray licks of electricity of a shade equivalent to its core. There were no labels nor indicators explaining what these bizarre balls of black mass were, but they looked potentially hazardous. Then, looking to the opposite wall from the black orbs, Kairyn gasped at what the long containment tube happened to hold.

Stepping up to the horizontal vessel, Kairyn gently pressed his hand up to the glass as he gazed inside in thunderstruck silence. Lying on a thin glass table was a creature unbeknownst to Kairyn's era. It lay on its side with a specially fitted breathing mask over its nose and face, along with a varied assortment of sensors and wires placed on various points of its hefty-looking body and elongated neck.

"It's…it's a dinosaur…" Kairyn whispered to himself. His mouth hung open as he scanned over the prehistoric creature that looked fairly young by its given size. It lay very still on its virtually invisible platform within its containment tube but was uncertain if it were actually alive. Kairyn looked down at the screen embedded into the cold chrome pedestal. By the look of the screen, it was showing the dinosaur's vital signs to which all were recorded as present and active. Kairyn blinked in disbelief as he looked back into the tube. He was staring at a living breathing resident of the prehistoric past.

"_Could this be the 'big delivery' dad was talking about?_" Kairyn pondered unable to avert his eyes from the sleeping dinosaur.

Suddenly, the tannoy system exploded overhead, making Kairyn jump.

"WARNING! SECURITY LOCKDOWN INITIATED ON THIS FLOOR! ALL ROOMS AND LABORATORIES WILL BE SEALED FOR PERSONAL SECURITY! PLEASE REMAIN CALM WHILE THIS SECUIRTY PROCEDURE IS IN EFFECT!"

"Lockdown?" Kairyn asked the disembodied voice as a loud snap at the lab's entrance stole his attention. Running to the door, Kairyn pressed his hand against it but he felt a force repel it and throw it back. Regaining control of his hand's flight, Kairyn watched as a neon-blue, square tessellated barrier flicked in front of his face.

"A Reflector Field…great…" Kairyn tutted in annoyance, backing away from the shielded door. He was now trapped in the laboratory with no means of escape.

Kairyn turned back to the contents of the room, greatly impressed by their presence. Still, the sleeping dinosaur in the containment tube he found most intriguing. As he walked over to admire it again, he suddenly paused as he heard his name being called faintly.

"Melissa?" Kairyn called back to the door, "Melissa? Melissa! I'm in here!"

"Kairyn? You there?" Melissa's voice piped from the other side of the sealed door, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm locked in here though," Kairyn shouted back.

"Well, I got shut out after the lockdown," she replied, "I'm gonna go see if I can get someone to get you out. I'll be back."

"No! Melissa, wait!" Kairyn shouted but she didn't reply.

Kairyn huffed in frustration as he retreated further back into his prison. Even if Melissa did find a guard, it would be unlikely they would lift the lockdown with the knowledge that a killer was on the loose somewhere on the floor. Suddenly, Kairyn flinched on hearing a strange, groaning sound. Scanning the room, Kairyn failed to locate the source of the noise which he quickly deduced to be heavy breathing. Then, an unsettling idea came to mind. Slowly, he turned towards the glass tube which held the dinosaur, thinking it could have possibly been that, but the sound appeared to be a lot closer to Kairyn's immediate vicinity rather than the room's extremities. Something flickered out of the corner of Kairyn's eye making him snap around but nothing was there. Kairyn sensed a presence very close to him making his skin prickle. Slowly, he then looked up to the ceiling, just in time to see a black figure drop down and land just in front of him.

Kairyn gasped and leapt backwards in fright as the figure landed on its hands and knees. Kairyn, fearful at first, then looked puzzled by the Black Ghost's crouched position. He didn't stand up and appeared to be having great difficulty breathing. Panting as he faced the floor, the Black Ghost didn't seem to notice Kairyn stood just beyond the edge of his hood. Kairyn, forgetting his initial sense of anger, dipped down slowly to try to catch the Black Ghost's face. Now on all fours, Kairyn ducked his head low. He was just about to ask the Black Ghost is he was alright but before he could utter a word, the Black Ghost flicked his head up with lightning speed directly in line with Kairyn's eyes. Kairyn let out a yelp and fell backwards on his rear end. The movement itself was threatening even though no other part of the cloaked man twitched. Kairyn suddenly felt very vulnerable as he sat on his backside watching the Black Ghost now slowly rising to his feet. His arms drooped down limply whilst he dragged himself upright, still staring down on Kairyn.

Kairyn sat paralysed at the Black Ghost's feet without an ounce of rage to drive him, even though he had now found his father's murderer. His presence alone held enough power to keep Kairyn from being able to move now the Black Ghost had caught him off guard. All of a sudden, the Black Ghost snapped his gloved hands up to his head and he groaned with discomfort. His towering stance broke as he staggered from side to side clutching his head. Seeing the Black Ghost in sudden bursts of pain shattered the frozen grip that had constricted Kairyn's body. Jumping to his feet, Kairyn backed away as far as he could from the Black Ghost who was throwing himself about in crazed fits, fighting with himself.

"Ahhh…n-no! No! Stop! Arrrghhh! Stop it!...STOP IT! I…I won't let you…You can't…" the Black Ghost shouted still wrestling with his head.

"What's wrong?" Kairyn asked worryingly.

"Uhhh…the…cur…cuurrr…It's trying…trying to…No! NO! NEVER!" the Black Ghost babbled deliriously.

"It's trying to what?" Kairyn shouted but the Black Ghost didn't seem to hear. He continued to bark, scream and argue with an invisible entity as Kairyn looked on helplessly. Suddenly, with one final roar, the Black Ghost charged sideways at full speed and slammed into the solid wall. Kairyn cringed as the Black Ghost impacted and slid down the wall, no longer speaking aloud to himself but still holding his head in his hands. Kairyn looked down on the Black Ghost utterly stunned. His erratic behaviour made him feel very uncomfortable to be around as he sat on his knees, breathing hard and still cradling his head.

"What's wrong with you?" Kairyn asked.

"Corruption…the tribe…on…on their way…" the Black Ghost gasped shaking his head, "It's…already started…" Kairyn stared at him utterly perplexed but his mind quickly switched finally seeing the Black Ghost subdued.

"Why did you kill my dad?!" Kairyn then shouted, his stored rage finally resurfacing. The Black Ghost didn't reply.

"ANSWER ME! WHY THE HELL DID YOU KILL MY FATHER?!" Kairyn screamed. Without thinking, Kairyn raised his fist and swung it out in front of him. There was a sickening crack as the back of Kairyn's fist connected with the side of the Black Ghost's hood forcing the him to roll over to the side. Kairyn stood amazed that his punch actually hit its target. He was even more astounded that the Black Ghost did not retaliate to being struck.

"Your father…that scientist…he…" the Black Ghost started as he looked up at Kairyn. He suddenly paused as he scanned the room. Then, the Black Ghost flinched as he caught sight of the dinosaur in the containment chamber. Suddenly, he let out a fearful cry.

"N…no! Not…not…" he gasped. Kairyn followed the Black Ghost's gaze up to the sleeping dinosaur in confusion. Before Kairyn could say a word, he leapt backwards as the Black Ghost let out a ear-splitting shriek. The Black Ghost bounced to his feet in a flash and immediately drew his sword which made Kairyn panic. The Black Ghost roared again before launching himself around the room in a frenzied flurry of angry screams and lightning-fast sword slashes. Kairyn pushed himself up against the wall near the door in terror as he watched the man in the flowing coat mindlessly slash at the walls, ceiling, worktops and computers enclosed in the room. His speed was phenomenal to behold as he attacked every square inch of the laboratory like a lunatic. He turned to the glass pods holding the black orbs and, without any consideration as to what would happen, he dashed over and began attacking the pods.

"What are you doing?! STOP!" Kairyn cried fearfully but proved useless. There was no reasoning with the crazed man as his sword left dangerous gouges in the glass with each blow. With a spinning swing, each of the chambers holding an individual black orb suddenly exploded in unison, littering the floor with shards of broken glass. Kairyn shielded his face from the glass shower and looked on in horror. The black orbs had began to crackle perilously; their lightning arcs snapping at each other like hissing snakes striking one another. The Black Ghost's assault failed to slow as he then turned and glared menacingly at the containment chamber holding the sleeping dinosaur. Kairyn caught the man's murderous head turn and quickly became fearful of his next action.

"NO! NO! DON'T KILL IT!" Kairyn yelled taking a run towards the chamber to intervene. The Black Ghost didn't comply and charged straight at the pod, knocking Kairyn back the way he came in his sprint. Kairyn collapsed against the wall next to the door and winced in pain. Staggering to his feet, he looked up just in time to see the Black Ghost take one mighty swing with his sword at the containment pod. The glass erupted on contact with the blade and rained down from the ceiling onto the floor. The dinosaur appeared unfazed by its protective barrier being destroyed as it continued its peaceful slumber. The Black Ghost however seemed to have stopped dead in his tracks having obliterated the cryo-chamber.

Kairyn stood up against the wall terrified of the Black Ghost's next move. Just then, he heard his name being shouted out from beyond the door to his right hand side.

"Kairyn? KAIRYN! Are you in there?!" the voice shouted.

"Tyronne?! TYRONNE! I'm in here, yes!" he called now panicking, "Get me out of here! The Black Ghost's in here! He's going mad! He's destroyed everything!"

"What?!" another voice called that Kairyn didn't recognise, "Has he harmed the subject in that room?"

"No…he's just staring at it. Please! Get me out of here!" Kairyn pleaded. Just then, the black orbs on the opposite side of the room let out a deafening popping sound. Kairyn looked up in fear as he saw the black balls of black mass suddenly begin to merge and grow in size.

"TYRONNE!" he cried terrified, "there's black orbs things in here. They're growing bigger! Help! Get me out!"

"He destroyed the orb chambers?!" the same unrecognisable voice called. His tone seemed very dismissive towards Kairyn impending danger.

"Yes! They're fusing together and getting bigger! Help! Open the damn door! Let me out!" Kairyn screamed.

"Some-von! Disengage zee lockdown! NOW!" a strong voice, thick-accented voice bellowed.

Kairyn felt helpless as the balls of mass continued to grow larger. He looked over at the Black Ghost who was stood silently in amongst the chaos.

"Please…someone do something…help!" Kairyn cried to the door.

"It's too late…it has begun…" the Black Ghost said solemnly, his coat flapping madly in the turbulent air rushes. Strong gusts of wind bombarded the room throwing all loose debris into the air. Kairyn could feel the force of the wind pulling him in towards the black orb which was now one giant sparking ball of threatening black and purple.

"TYRONNE! TYRONNE HEEEELLPPP!" Kairyn screamed despairingly.

"Kairyn! Stand back from the door! We're going to blow it open! Just hold on!" Tyronne's voice sounded from the other side. It was difficult to understand him clearly over the roaring winds.

"It's no use…there's no saving anyone now…" the Black Ghost said lowly. Kairyn, shielding his eyes from the gusts of air pounding his face, turned and looked over that him.

"What? What are you talking about?!" Kairyn yelled.

"The curse has been released…everything will be consumed…these fools have no idea what they've done…" the Black Ghost continued. He was stood tall, anchored to the ground despite the powerful vortex pulling everything towards the chaotic black ball. Kairyn continued to stare at the Black Ghost as the black ball made a deafening crack. The pulling force multiplied with the thunderous booming. Kairyn gasped as he found his feet beginning to leave the floor. With a panicked turn, he threw himself around and grabbed the edge of a console rooted into the floor as his legs levitated off the ground. Grunting as he struggled to hold on, Kairyn looked over at the Black Ghost who was now hovering off the ground.

"Let's see what fate has in store for us this time…are you ready?" he asked Kairyn. Kairyn could not nothing but watch as the Black Ghost allowed himself to be snatched into the black ball where he appeared to pixelate and the small particles shot straight into the ball's core. Kairyn looked over to the dinosaur still sleeping in amongst the mayhem. Its limp body also floated into the air and shot towards the black ball. Upon contact, the dinosaur broke up into tiny coloured squares before shooting deep into the ball.

Kairyn, struggling to breathe in the rushing wind, felt his grip loosening as the sucking force of the vortex seems to strengthen. Then, his fingers finally slipped from the console and he flew straight at the black ball's core.

"TYROOONNNNNEEEEE!" he managed to scream before everything blanked out. His body disintegrated into tiny squares before shooting straight into the deep purple heart of the ball of black mass. Upon consuming Kairyn, the black ball then seemed to collapse in on itself and, with a twinkle at its centre, the ball erupted in a flash of bright light and disappeared from view.

Seconds later, a mighty explosion blew a gaping hole in the side of the lab. Through the makeshift hole beside the barrier-enforced door, a squad of security members all dressing in uniform charged into the room, their weapons raised and flicked in every direction but they came to an empty room. Tyronne ran into the entropic scene, searching desperately for his younger brother.

"Kairyn? Kairyn!" he called hoping to hear his voice reply but the room was completely deserted. Captain Schneider's quick senses analysed the room in an instant.

"Sq-vad, secure dis sector. Vee must clean up dis area and begin investigations into dis inzeedent at vonce," he barked to the crowd of security uniforms huddled in the room. On receiving their orders, they rapidly dispersed back out into the corridor. Tyronne, however, did not move from his position and slowly sunk to his knees in silence; his rifle clattered noisily on the ground next to him as he let it slip from his fingers. In no more than an instant, he had just lost his father and brother in the same night. Captain Schneider turned back to the doorway and glanced around the corner and began speaking into someone out of sight.

"I am sorry sir. Dee voom has been totally destroyed. No traces of either of zee specimen are left…No sir…both the matter orbs and zee living subject are gone…Zee scientists are dead, including Provessor Stephen Taylor…Dis is truly a disturbing scene to behold…Zee civilian child and zee perpetrator are both gone…presumed dead also…Yes…I understand…vee vill get to vork immediately…you best return to your office. Zank you, goodbye Mr Thorne."

Captain Schneider turned back to Tyronne who was the only one left inside the battered laboratory, still sat on his knees. With a sigh, the burly captain turned away and left Tyronne to mourn for his losses.


	13. Remembering the Legend

Chapter 12: Remembering the Legend

Darkness. All around him. Nothing but emptiness, devoid of any signs of life or light. In the blackness hung an entity; a lifeless body turned on its back, hovering in mid-air. Its flaccid limbs wavered over it like five thick flags flapping in a strong breeze. Then, slowly, its senses crawled back into effectiveness one by one; returning a life that had seemed to be lost. As his senses regained their strength, Littlefoot slowly opened his eyes.

"Ungh…huh? Where…where am I?" Littlefoot said to himself wearily. He almost choked on the air that seemed highly pressurised making it very difficult to breathe. He felt peculiar forces being applied to his body as he lay on his back, unable to move freely. He could feel a strong, somewhat heavy, dragging force tugging at every inch of him. Littlefoot heard a roaring wind pass either side of his head. It was so loud; the very sound itself scorched his eardrums.

"Wha…! I'm…I'm falling!" Littlefoot gasped. He twisted and kicked frantically to try and observe his environment but all he saw was a dark, blank sheet all around him in every direction.

"What…what is this place? How did I get here?" he babbled to himself. He was trying desperately to remember anything. Any trace of a memory to help piece together his personal events before finding himself floating within this darkness. The screaming wind in his ears didn't aid him in the slightest as Littlefoot squeezed his eyes tight and furrowed his brow searching for anything memorable. Suddenly, from out of the blackness, a voice spoke out.

"Who are you?" it asked. Littlefoot felt a jolt shoot through his body on hearing the voice.

"Who…? Wha…what?" he stammered glancing around.

""Who-are-you?" the voice repeated promptly. Its tone wasn't threatening but it was powerful sounding, like it was within his immediate vicinity. It spoke clear and concise even over the roaring of the air brushing his face.

"I'm…I'm Littlefoot," the young brontosaurus answered nervously, still scanning for the source of the voice.

"…Littlefoot…" the voice reiterated monotonically.

"Who…who are you?" Littlefoot returned but the disembodied voice didn't offer a name. Instead, it asked another personal question.

"Where are you from, Littlefoot?" the voice asked. Littlefoot paused for a moment. It quickly alarmed him that he could not immediately remember the name of his home.

"Where are you from Littlefoot?" the voice asked again. Littlefoot squinted, trying to think harder.

Then, a green scenery popped into view within his mind's eye. Then, the landscape's name leapt out at him.

"…Oh! The Great Valley! I'm from a place called the Great Valley. It's my home," Littlefoot said aloud.

"…The Great Valley…" the voice mimicked tonelessly. The voice then fell silent leaving Littlefoot suspended, alone in the dark. For some peculiar reason, Littlefoot's body felt numb, limp and, for the first time…heavy. His skin no longer prickled with the dragging motion of his rapid descent. That's when the concept hit him. Littlefoot could no longer feel the rush of the wind scraping over his body. The force had disappeared entirely. Before Littlefoot could think about it, he saw something move above him. With the falling sensation nullified, Littlefoot, still suspended wrong side up in the darkness, looked up as a white star twinkled in the distance. Littlefoot, bewildered at first, watched the tiny star carefully as it shone a radiant brilliance in the dark void surrounding him. Strangely, the more he gazed up at it, the more it made him think of home.

Suddenly, the star began to multiply in size. It grew exponentially, burning away the blackness with its powerful radiance. Littlefoot felt his stomach twinge uneasily as the white light continued to expand around him. The transition from deep voided black to blistering white stung his eyes as he clamped them shut. Even with his eyes closed, the light shone bright through his eyelids. Then, all of a sudden, Littlefoot felt a strange force tip him at his tail end. Unable to fight the movement, Littlefoot allowed himself to be rotated slowly. Still with his eyes closed, Littlefoot felt his four feet come into contact with a solid surface. As he knees bent softly and his orientation slowly righted, Littlefoot cautiously opened one eye. Through his monocular vision he past a quick glance at his surroundings before unfurling his second eyelid. In a complete contrast to his former environment of utter darkness, the void was now one of pure white. Littlefoot felt an uneasy tension worm its way into his gut as his sense of loneliness only seemed to multiply.

"H-hello?" he called out into the blankness. His voice trailed off into the distance without a hint of a reply, "Hello…? Anybody there?" No one answered; his words flew off deep into the vacant space. Still slightly nervous, Littlefoot lifted his front foot to take an apprehensive step forwards while he stared up at the blank air.

As Littlefoot felt his hanging foot touch the ground, he felt the floor flash warm. Alarmed, Littlefoot glanced down at his foot which was encircled in a spiky ring of turquoise. The circle shone up brilliantly from Littlefoot's contact point forcing him to hop backwards a little. He watched in awe as the blue-green ring spread outwards with a gusty shoot of wind. Littlefoot bowed his head as the wind blast hit him square in the face. Through squinting eyes, Littlefoot gasped when he saw a thick carpet of flowing green grass pace its way beneath his feet. Fighting the rushing air, he looked up in amazement as the blank void began to transform around him. Trees sprung up proud and tall from the rolling sea of grass which was spreading out in all directions. The leaves unfurled shyly into five-pointed green stars; all crystallised with sparkling morning dewdrops. A rainbow assortment of flowers of every type and colourful shade imaginable burst through the ground like exploding bouquets adding their sweet aroma to the stifling air. Through the trees' blossoming canopies, Littlefoot saw the sky glide overhead, a wonderful blend of baby blue like an artist's brushstroke had literally painted it onto a canvas. Rugged mountains clambered their way up from the ground and stood defiant and strong all around outskirts of the shifting landscape, giving the visible horizon a jagged borderline way off in the distance along with a snaking network of fast flowing rivers, peaceful streams and crystal clear waterways that glided effortlessly through the land mass.

Within a few tens of seconds, Littlefoot found himself in a completely new environment. The lifeless pane of white had now given way to a luscious, beautiful natural landscape of green that Littlefoot recognised instantly.

"The Great…Valley…!" he gasped in awe as if he where witnessing its splendour for the first time all over again. His expression quickly turned into one of immense joy as he took in the sights, sounds and sweet smells of the euphoric land. He was home. With lifted spirits, Littlefoot took off with a spring in his step. Boy, did it feel great to be home.

Dashing through the forest pathways; the bushy borders a blur on the edge of his vision, Littlefoot bounded to a grassy overhang and looked through the gap in the trees. He smiled to see on the Great Valley's wondrous landmarks. A giant cascading waterfall towering high over a peaceful looking glade decorated with ornate flowers. The roar of the tumbling water could be heard echoing throughout the Valley as it gave way to a pure and clear stream of water that ran deep into the Great Valley's heartland. An artery of life for both the Valley and its denizens.

"The Thundering Falls…" Littlefoot breathed with pride. Somehow, despite knowing it was always there, just seeing the majesty of these falls now seemed to enhance the welling of awe and content that was bubbling in his chest. He was glad to be witnessing its graceful descent again despite seeing the turbulent pool at the base of the waterfall oddly vacant.

He continued along the path's twisting route through the woods until he came to a bright patch of open field like a light at the end of a long leafy tunnel. Feeling a sudden spurt of energy surge into him, Littlefoot accelerated his pace to a quick trot towards the path's end.

"The Grazing Fields…" Littlefoot said to himself with a beaming smile. It was a known fact that the Grazing Fields were renowned for their bustling occupancy for Great Valley dwellers be they visitor or permanent resident. It was here where scores of herds, particularly travellers, chose to come and eat their fill from the wavering blades that carpeted the ground from the bordering bushes, hence its aptly given name.

Littlefoot, eager to indulge in a little company of other dinosaurs, leapt forth from the forest and out into the wide open fields. Littlefoot looked out over the Grazing Fields but instantly felt his heart sink. The luscious grazing grounds were completely deserted. Not a single dinosaur was in sight over the vast green area.

"_Hmm…that's weird…"_ Littlefoot thought, "_The Grazing Fields are never this empty, even when we don't have wanderers in the Valley. There is ALWAYS someone here…_" Littlefoot trekked through the bowing blades of grass which bore no damage from potential eaters who may have been residing. Traversing one side of the great fields to the other, Littlefoot became more and more confused. There was not one single dinosaur nor living creature visible on the open plains.

"Something's not right…" Littlefoot mumbled to himself as he reached the far side of the Grazing Fields, "Where is everybody?" Littlefoot felt his confusion slowly transmute into a sense of worry. The Grazing Fields being utterly barren of any kind of sentient being wasn't only an extreme rarity but also a rather large concern.

"Maybe everyone's at the Meeting Place," Littlefoot said trying to reassure himself. He was trying his hardest not to jump to any conclusions but he'd never seen such a spot of common social gathering to look so bare.

Littlefoot quickly made his way over to the Meeting Place. A naturally formed, bare patch encircled by a half ring, multi-layered wall of ledges that looked down upon the centre. Very much like a roughly etched Greek auditorium carved by natural forces, complete with a great looping rock archway for an entrance. Any news of the day or important discussions always occurred within this rocky ring with many of the Great Valley's permanent residents taking front stage including Cera's father, his partner Tria and Littlefoot's own grandparents. However, when Littlefoot arrived at the Meeting Place, it was obvious that there was very little in the way of discussion taking place. Just like the Grazing Fields, the Meeting Place was empty.

"There's…no one here…" Littlefoot gasped as he came around the corner and through the archway. Looking up at the rows of seats on the ledges above the central pit, not one dinosaur stood in the stands. Littlefoot's depths of worry grew deeper and deeper as he ran from landmark to landmark for ant signs of life. But to his dismay, each spot was just as bare and barren as the last. What troubled Littlefoot even more was that even the nesting grounds of his closest friends were also empty. There was not a shred of evidence that any of Cera, Petrie or Ducky and Spike's home grounds had been touched, let alone slept in.

"Even my friends are missing…what's happened to the Valley?!" Littlefoot breathed but something inside him was not too eager to learn the answer.

One more place leapt into Littlefoot's mind as he slowly wandered away from the foot of the high cave in the mountainside where Petrie used to dwell.

"I haven't checked my home yet. I wonder if Grandma and Grandpa have disappeared too…just like the others. I sure hope not…" With that, he dashed as quickly as he could to his own home nesting grounds.

Taking the usual route back home from Petrie's home, Littlefoot, now exhausted from running everywhere, slowed to a standstill as he parted the quaint little clearing he and his grandparents came to sleep at every night and awoke every morning. The sun would always rise over the bulky shoulders of the Smoking Mountain and laboriously clambered its way over the clearing, warming the ground and the little, shallow pit in the grass where Littlefoot chose to sleep every night. However, rest and sleep were the two factors furthest from his mind as he examined his nesting grounds. After a few seconds, Littlefoot breathed a heavy melancholic sigh of defeat. Just like every other spot in the Great Valley he had visited, it was completely empty. There was no trace of his beloved grandparents or any other sign that his home grounds had been at all disturbed.

Deflated, Littlefoot dropped himself down into what used to be his sleeping pit, sat down and dipped his head in penitence.

"What has happened to the Valley?" he whispered to himself, "Everyone is gone. The visitors, the Far-walkers, my grandparents…even my friends…they're all…gone…" Littlefoot could feel his heart sinking lower and lower as the realisation slowly started to coagulate in his mind; manifesting from his previous worries. That realisation quickly amalgamated into a welling of loneliness. A dreadful sense of wanting to be with someone; a depressive state of being that Littlefoot hadn't felt since leaving his mother's side as she lay fatally wounded in the pouring rain on his maiden voyage to discover the sanctuary of the Great Valley. Not only then, but all the days and nights that followed where Littlefoot found himself wandering, what he now called, the Mysterious Beyond aimlessly on his own.

Littlefoot's mind slowly began to drift off to thoughts and memories of those he held dear to his heart. The thoughts of those he cherished so much and the memories of the antics and adventures they'd all had together played over in his head as mental reruns. Reruns he'd never get bored of replaying. Yet, given the forsaken land that the Great Valley had now become; devoid of life, the memories that flashed before his mind's eye only deepened the sadness and longing to have someone, anyone beside him.

"I wish someone was here," Littlefoot sighed, "I know Grandpa said that I'm never really alone, but…" Littlefoot paused for a moment and looked up slowly.

"My grandparents…Cera, Petrie, Ducky, Spike, Ali…I miss them all…"

Then, as the names of his friends and family rolled through his mind, Littlefoot blinked, momentarily breaking his concentration. As his vision flicked back into focus, he found himself gazing at the wide base of tree roots dug deep into the ground just beside his sleeping pit. With his thought path halted, Littlefoot gradually craned his neck upwards to look along the full length of the tree's trunk, right up to its top where it split into a wide Y-shaped opening. From the split, the petrified branches shot off in opposite directions creating what effectively looked like a wooden cradle crafted by nature's forces. Like a bolt of lightning, the image of this tiny petrified tree instantly conjured the thoughts and memories of one single entity Littlefoot could never forget as long as he lived.

"…Jason…you too…along with all my friends…I miss you too…" Littlefoot said to the tree as if it were expecting a reply. He nodded solemnly before bowing his head again, allowing the lonely feeling to add greater weight to the airy sensation of his plummeting stomach, driving it deeper still.

Suddenly, as Littlefoot's mind lingered on the memories of his human friend Jason, the tiny tree suddenly erupted in a flash of brilliant light. Littlefoot flinched, jerking his head backwards as the blast of light hit him head on, stinging his eyes. Shielding his face, Littlefoot blinked rapidly to force the white glaze from before his smarting eyes. Just as his vision slid back into focus, Littlefoot, still dazed slightly, heard a voice call to him.

"…Littlefoot…" the voice sang harmoniously. Littlefoot snapped his eyes open fully in shock on hearing the voice of another. With his head still bowed to the side, close to the ground, Littlefoot slowly and shyly glanced up to where the voice was emanating from. Raising his head inch by inch, Littlefoot found himself staring at the petrified tree in dumbfounded awe. The tree was now glowing with a radiant light and shimmered a beautiful spectrum of all colours imaginable. Littlefoot felt very nervous sitting so close to the bizarre tree, so he quickly jumped to standing and took a few slow, apprehensive steps backwards. His eyes never once dropped from staring at the incandescent tree.

"…Littlefoot…" the voice sang out again. Littlefoot paused on the spot on hearing his name being beckoned for a second time. Its tone was not threatening but it didn't prevent Littlefoot from still feeling a little skittish.

"This…this tree is…calling my name," Littlefoot babbled to himself. He never thought he'd hear himself say such a thing but it was happening right before him now. He continued to watch the tree as its light gradually started to shrink as if by a reaction to realising it had obtained Littlefoot's attention.

"_What's happening now?_" Littlefoot thought, taking one more cautious step back as the glowing light of the tree continued to recede. It appeared to be condensing down into a little ball about three inches in diameter. Upon reaching this reduced size, the light stopped and hung there directly at Littlefoot's eye level. Littlefoot maintained his vacant stare in wonderment at the little floating sphere as its colours flickered randomly. Curiosity quickly substituted Littlefoot's initial flooding sense of panic as he took a tentative footstep forward. Creeping steadily closer, Littlefoot refused to avert his gaze from the multicoloured flashing orb as it had failed to make a single movement since its inexplicable arrival.

As Littlefoot was within a few feet of the ball of light, its random colour flicking came to a sudden halt as a shade of pure brilliant white. The mysterious light, Littlefoot noticed, then started to change colour. Its glow was no longer erratically self-altering; it was not beaming a pale shade of blue. Littlefoot continued to watch as the ball's hue began to become more concentrated and its shade deepened. After a few seconds, it appeared as if the orb's colour morphing had ceased to which, it was now a potently deep, royal blue. Still slightly baffled by this peculiar chain of events, Littlefoot leaned carefully forwards to examine the orb as it remain hovering in mid-air.

"W…what is this thing?" Littlefoot thought, the end of his nose a mere couple of inches from it.

"…Littlefoot…" the same voice from before called out to him. Littlefoot leapt back in response and stood poised to run in the opposite direction but the voice then continued,

"…Littlefoot…do you remember?"

"Remember? Remember what?" Littlefoot asked still on edge, ready to flee at the next slightest bizarre action that may follow. An action of which he could only imagine.

"Do you remember…who you are?" Littlefoot was now confused. The question didn't seem to make sense. Of course he remembered who he was. He was HIM. He was Littlefoot…how could he possibly forget that?

"I…I don't understand…I am me…so, what do you…" Littlefoot started but the voice interrupted.

"You….must remind yourself…of who you are…" it said. Somehow, its sweet, melodious tone had disappeared and it sounded a lot sterner. Littlefoot stood, floundering in his own perplexion. What was the voice from the orb talking about? What could he possibly have forgotten? Why did he need to be reminded of who he was?

"It is because you have forgotten who you are as to explain why your home has become the lifeless land you see," the voice said. Littlefoot's ears pricked up on hearing this and he immediately became much more interesting in what the voice had to say.

"Please! Tell me. What do I have to do? How do I remember who I am?" Littlefoot beseeched the ball of light but this time, it didn't reply. Littlefoot stood awaiting his answer but the ball of deep blue light suddenly shot skywards. Littlefoot snapped his head up to the orb's new altitude, where it hung for a moment before shooting off into the trees beyond the large open area where his grandparents would sleep.

"Hey! Hey, wait! Where are you going?!" Littlefoot shouted after it. With a quick kick, he dashed over the soft grass and dove into the bushes to give chase.

Bursting through the other side of the shrubbery, Littlefoot scanned between the tree trunks for the glowing, blue ball. He then spotted it meandering its way through the trees; it was exceptionally quick. As it flew between the bulky limbs, Littlefoot, dazzled by its speed, then noticed a glittering trail of twinkling stardust drifting slowly to the ground, tracing the balls exact flight path. Without another word, Littlefoot took off, following the glistening trail. The incandescent ball zoomed its way through the vacated Great Valley with Littlefoot hot on its heels. It shot through the forest, out over the plains and fields, alongside rivers and streams before diving back into woodland again. At this point, Littlefoot had lost sight of the orb as it plunged into the canopies of the trees. His body felt fatigued as he hurdled the low-lying bushes. Until now, he had been mindlessly pursuing the floating orb at full striding paces, without taking any notice of the areas he was traversing. Now, having lost sight of the ball, he began to take in his surroundings and acknowledge where he now was.

"These woods…this is where…" Littlefoot began but a sudden flash out of the corner of his eye interrupted his train of thought. Following the sparkling dusty line that still hung in the air, Littlefoot carefully pawed his way through the foliage of the neighbouring bushes until he came to a copse deep within the little patch of forest. An area that he knew very well.

"Friendship Circle," Littlefoot said as he gazed around the ting clearing littered with large chunks of rock.

Just like the rest of the Great Valley, the little hideaway remained undisturbed yet there was but a single feature that automatically snared Littlefoot's attention. Out of all the slabs of stone that lay dotted randomly about the sunny copse, one of them revealed a detailed carving of seven figures stood all in a line. Seven identities, all of which, Littlefoot recognised straight away.

"The stone…" Littlefoot hummed curiously, "it's still here." Walking up to the stone's etched face, Littlefoot flinched as the little glowing ball he had been following suddenly popped up from behind the rock, as if it had been hiding from him.

"Do you remember now?" the same ghostly voice asked Littlefoot as the ball of light hovered over the carving.

"Of course I remember this," Littlefoot began as he lowered his eyes from the glowing orb and down to the chipped image of himself and his friends, "Jason made this when he was here. My friends and I found it after he left to go back to the human world." The memories of that day came flooding back the more Littlefoot stared into the rock portrait. That sad day when they finally parted company after spending what seems like an age together. Littlefoot, half submerged in his thoughts, slowly continued,

"Jason made this…for all of us. So that we would remember…everything that happened."

"What was it that was to be remembered?" the voice probed.

"Everything…Our time together, our friendship, the hard times we faced when the humans came to the Great Valley. That was our adventure…the one I nearly didn't make it through. But we did, we all did. It was about those strange coloured stones…the Stones of Essence. I remember it all now."

All of a sudden, as if on reaction to Littlefoot's last words, the ball of blue light made an unexpected jet upwards. Littlefoot snapped his head up to the floating orb as it rocketed skywards a few feet before pausing for a brief second. Then, he gasped in shock when he saw the ball suddenly dive, aimed right at him. Without any time to evade, Littlefoot felt the glowing orb hit him with full force in the centre of his back. The impact was so strong, Littlefoot's legs buckled and gave way from underneath him forcing him to fall to the ground. Dazed by the sudden unprovoked attack, Littlefoot cringed and groaned as he gingerly pushed himself up to standing again. A little unsteady on his feet, he shook his head lightly before opening his eyes again.

"What was that about?" he mumbled breathlessly to himself, scanning the glade for any signs of change; of which there were none. All of a sudden, the same voice spoke out from nowhere making Littlefoot jump.

"You finally remember. You remember who you are and in doing so, have remembered your destiny. You have remembered the part you played in the legend and are now prepared for what lies ahead."

"Prepared?" Littlefoot asked perplexed, "prepared for what?"

"The next chapter in the story. The legend is not yet complete so your quest must continue. The sacred lights must finish their task or risk the world falling into perpetual darkness." Littlefoot's brain was racing frantically. This was all happening far too fast for him to comprehend.

"The stage is now set and the time has come. The story is due to carry on. Continue to battle you sacred lights. Deliver your land from the darkness that shall billow over us." With that, the voice silenced for good.

Littlefoot stood in the middle of the clearing in utter confusion. Nothing that the disembodied voice had said made any sense yet he found himself within the Great Valley now, well and truly, on his own. Littlefoot sighed and shook his head; he felt completely lost.

Then, something shimmered before him. Glancing up, Littlefoot noticed that the triangular symbol that was etched into the rock face was glowing a radiant shade of golden yellow that emanated out from the grey, gritty stonework. Edging closer, Littlefoot examined the strange light wondering what bizarre event would unfold this time. With a shrilling ping sound, the golden light flashed once before the entire stone carving suddenly exploded, point-blank in Littlefoot's face. The blast launched Littlefoot backwards where he landed on his side on the grass a few feet away from the eruptive epicentre. Rolling over to try and stand again, Littlefoot looked back to where the rock had been not a few seconds beforehand. The carving of him and his friends had been completely obliterated by the explosion; its pieces scattered far and wide about the glade. Looking down to the crater left in the ground, Littlefoot was alarmed to see a black mist begin to pour up and out of the hole in the floor. It spread like wild fire, smothering the ground and the surrounding trees. Even the sky began to cloud over with dense black clouds that blotted out the sun until the horizon was completely consumed.

Littlefoot began to feel jittery as the black fog literally disintegrated the Great Valley from around him. Inch by inch, the luscious green landscape evaporated into nothingness until there was only Littlefoot stood on a patch of white light in the now infinite darkness.

Then, Littlefoot felt the solid ground beneath him give way and he sank to his knees in the murky fog. Panic-stricken, he struggled and strained to be free of the black mist but it was pulling him in deeper like quicksand. The cold, clammy air brushed his body and quickly tightened and bound to him like a constrictor binding its prey. As the smog travelled and clambered up his body, Littlefoot suddenly heard a low-pitched demonic laugh burst aloud from the darkness. With the fog climbing half way up his neck, Littlefoot saw two bloody-red, pupiless eyes glare out of the blackness and stare straight at him.

"Now you're mine!" the booming voice bellowed at the drowning young longneck. Feeling a jolt of fear shoot down the length of his spine, Littlefoot let out a shriek as the black mist smothered his face, swallowing him from sight. The mocking laughter ringing out over his capture.

As he head went under and all noise and sound silenced in an instant, Littlefoot felt his other senses gradually slipping away within the depth of the darkness. Just as he felt his consciousness teeter on the edge of almost fading out, Littlefoot then felt a sudden surge burst forth from within him. It burned deep in his chest and radiated outwards like a firework. Although he lay limp and unable to move, the searing that was stirring deep within the very core of his being began to grow stronger loosening the fog's suffocating grip. Despite being consumed by the darkness, something that had lay dormant in Littlefoot's heart had reawakened. His adventure was about to start all over again as the same wispy voice from before spoke to his unmoved body.

"Do not be afraid…your light can smite the darkness. Awaken now Guardian…your task is about to begin…"


	14. A New Adventure is Born

Chapter 13: A New Adventure is Born

From the icy, clammy grip the dark mist had had on his immobile body, Littlefoot felt warmth creep back into his cold bones and frigid muscles. His chest lurched as air found its way down his throat, snaking into his lungs and popping them back into working order. A sweet aroma wafted in his nostrils with every deep inhalation as, one by one, his senses returned to their rightful places. Ambient noises of somewhat familiar sounds began to ring in his ears as he lay on his side on a smooth, cool patch of ground. A sharp breeze brushed his skin making him flinch a little before; at long last, Littlefoot finally opened his eyes.

Dazed at first, Littlefoot craned his neck up and glanced around whilst his vision slowly melted back into focus. Feeling the glow of the sun beaming down on him, Littlefoot felt the warming current course through every still inch of him, allowing him to muster the strength to finally roll up to his feet and stand on all fours.

"Ungh…uh…huh? Where am I?" Littlefoot hummed, his head still a little hazy. Analysing his surroundings, he could tell he was no longer in the Great Valley (if he had really been there at all). The area appeared to be an allotment of strange trees with board split leaves atop long, smooth trunks. Far too high for Littlefoot to attempt to reach on his own. Beneath the canopies was a loose underbrush of plants that Littlefoot was not familiar with which were rooted in sandy soil. In the distance, Littlefoot's ears pricked up on what sounded like a disturbance of water.

"_What is this place? How…how did I get here?_" Littlefoot pondered as he looked up at the sky which was bright and cloudless. Bedazzled, Littlefoot tried his hardest to attempt to recollect anything to help him recalibrate his scrambled bearing and fragmented memory. He squinted hard until his head ached, trying to remember anything but it was difficult to battle through the mass of chaos and disarray flickering through his brain.

Littlefoot's mind eye sputtered a flurry of images that slowly fed his memory into recovering his lost time as his brain flashed back to his evasion of the three black-suited humans in the Great Valley. From there, he caught a glimpse of Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike before his mind's eye went completely blank. His mind then frantically jumped to his bizarre return to a deserted Great Valley and that strange glowing ball. Littlefoot snapped open his eyes as his brain was doused into darkness. That seemed to be the last thing he could consciously recall before waking up on the little grassy patch in this oasis out in the middle of nowhere. Littlefoot's forehead pulsed painfully. It were, as if, there were more for him to see yet his couldn't quite piece the vision together.

Then, as his mind burned furiously, more of Littlefoot's body functions began to kick in. His stomach twinged and grumbled uncomfortably. Despite his lack of knowledge due to his recent lapse into unconsciousness, it was evident that Littlefoot had not eaten anything for quite some time. Cautiously, Littlefoot took his first few steps towards something that could provide some means of sustenance. Kicking the dirty ground as he approached the nearest available bush, Littlefoot eyed the jagged leaves testily. It did not look like a leaf shape he was accustomed to consuming but the gurgling of his belly argued for him not to be picky. Diving his face into the bush, he pulled off a mouthful and munched on it as best he could. The leaves were dry and coarse in his mouth but it was edible at least.

Littlefoot gulped his load down which dragged and clawed at the inside of his throat in its descent making him yap as the lingering flavour tingled on his tongue. After a few more bites, the resisting swallows itched in his gullet which immediately triggered another response for life-supporting essentials.

"That weird green food sure has made me thirsty," Littlefoot said to himself, feeling the hot, burning irritation scraping the inside of his larynx. On this realisation, Littlefoot's ears pricked up again on the sound of lapping water.

"Sounds like there's some water over there," he said as he pushed his way into the shrubbery in search of something to quench his thirst.

Before long, Littlefoot managed to navigate his way blindly through the undergrowth until he came to what appeared to be a small lake in the centre of a sandy-edged clearing. On seeing the water, Littlefoot immediately obeyed the urge to plunge his head into the water without another thought. Parting the bushes, he trotted over to the oasis pool and, wading in up to his ankles, he slurped up the cooling water noisily. Littlefoot hummed a blissful sigh of pleasure as the water instantly rehydrated his parched throat with every gulping lap.

Dipping his head down to take another sip, Littlefoot looked up and paused before his extended tongue could break the lake's surface. Across the pool, on the other bank, partially hidden amongst the surrounding shrubbery, was an object that suddenly piqued Littlefoot's interest. Raising his head back to full height, Littlefoot shuffled around the water's edge to the object poking out of the underbrush. Upon getting within approximately three feet of the strange object, Littlefoot glared at it peculiarly. It looked like an oddly coloured oblong with a flat base.

"_What is that?_" Littlefoot thought pivoting his head at weird angles to see if the new perspective would help him identify it. Leaning in, Littlefoot discovered, upon closer inspection, that this strange object extended further up. Rising out of the top of the alien item, was what looked like, a thin but long blue log of some unknown substance. Littlefoot shrivelled his face up in confusion. Just what was this thing?

Edged on by greater depths of curiosity, Littlefoot crept closer to the object and, raising a front foot cautiously, he quickly tapped it with a snappy swing. The object didn't respond. It appeared inanimate. He tapped it again, this time a little harder. Still nothing. Placing his hovering foot back on the sand, Littlefoot lowered his head carefully and nudged it with the tip of his nose. As he knocked against the long blue extension, the object flinched and snapped into the bush in a blink. Littlefoot leapt back with a startled gasp. Whatever it was, it could move. Although frightened, Littlefoot's burning curiosity continued to refresh his eager sense to know what this bizarre object was. Delicately, he inched towards where the object had retreated into the bushes. Keeping low, he fastidiously poked his head into the cluttered leaves and crept inside.

The undergrowth, despite being closer to the water, was not very dense. With the bulk of his torso jutting out the opposite end, Littlefoot pushed his head and elongated neck through the bordering hedge. Once the leaves cleared off his face, Littlefoot unfurled his eyelids and glanced down at the ground. He found the mysterious item and discovered that there was a lot more connection to it. The sight he witnessed forced him to gasp so sharply, the rushing air knotted his windpipe almost completely shut. He felt an intense kicking erupt in his chest as his heart suddenly began to pound, banging against its bony cage like a prisoner rattling the bars of his ribs. There, lying face down on the sandy soil, partially covered by loosely fallen leaf-litter, was a creature not native to his world; but one that has trespassed on the dinosaur realm once before.

"It's…it's a human!" Littlefoot breathed, finally dislodging the airy lump wedged in his throat. His eyes grew wide as a flash of excitement (or perhaps nervousness) shot through his body. His mind was racing almost as fast as his heartbeat as he tried to fathom how a human had managed to stumble upon the dinosaur world yet again; but with so much white noise buzzing in his head, it was impossible for Littlefoot to think straight.

Unable to determine who the human was at first, Littlefoot gazed over the still body. As the hyperactive rush charging through him slowly began to subside, Littlefoot began to take notice of the way the human looked. The clothes it wore (although still a completely alien concept to Littlefoot) began to look familiar. The strange black, fussy strands that covered the top and back of its head started to jog past memories. Its bizarre physical appearance, its limbs and appendages; its distinct lack of a tail, its unusual items and ways of living instantly came flooding back. A top of all of this, a glowing sense of remembrance of adventure that a certain human had brought with it. It was all coming back to him. Then, Littlefoot's now focused mind clicked on one possible question as he stood looking down on the incapacitated human. Could it really be him?

"Is it really him?" Littlefoot whispered nervously to himself. Head still hung low, he inched it apprehensively forwards to try and find the human's face which remain hidden under the hood of its jacket. Littlefoot felt his body tense up as he crept closer. He wasn't even sure if it was even alive but he remained transfixed on getting a glimpse at its face. He just had to know if it was him.

Its attire looked almost identical to what he could remember, but it wasn't enough to kerb his suspicion. Littlefoot's face drew incredibly close to the human's but with the hood shadowing its head, he still couldn't make out its features. Littlefoot felt a short sharp puff of air brush his face.

"_It's breathing…_" Littlefoot thought which brought a short burst of relief to his buzzing mind. Now, almost nose to nose with the human, Littlefoot whispered the name he had been longing to say for what seemed like an eternity.

"…Jason…? Is that you?" he mumbled to the unconscious human slowly.

Suddenly, the body twitched as if by response to Littlefoot's voice. Littlefoot reared back in fright as the human began to stir. Littlefoot retreated back into the bush; his face partially exposed as he watched the human's still body slowly reanimated itself. It pushed itself up off its front and sat on its heels with its face buried in its hands. Littlefoot felt his legs start to tremble slightly. That potent mixture of excitement and nervousness was pulsing through him at high speed as he continued to spectate.

Eventually, the human stopped rubbing its face and removed its hands apprehensively. Even without seeing its face, Littlefoot could tell that it was dazed, confused and bewildered by its surroundings. After all, he had awakened in exactly the same manner. The human remained on the ground, sat on its heels, gazing up at the sky above as Littlefoot felt his numb legs, inexplicably begin to move towards it. It wasn't a conscious decision he had made, but he seemed to be instinctively moving tentatively up behind the bemused human. As far as Littlefoot's curiosity was concerned, his question still remained unanswered.

Edging nearer, Littlefoot, once within a reasonable whispering range, spoke out sheepishly.

"…J-Jason?" The human's back suddenly straightened and its whole body went rigid. Littlefoot froze in his tracks on seeing the human's snappy movements; it made him uneasy. The human then swivelled around with a jerky swing and looked him dead in the eye. Littlefoot flinched and gasped at the same time. The stare petrified him on the spot to the point his brain drew blank for a split second. Before he could do anything more, the human let out an ear-splitting scream. Littlefoot, freaked by the human's suddenly outcry, screamed himself and stumbled backwards. In his hurried steps, Littlefoot's back foot snagged on something in the bush and he toppled backwards, through the hedge and out onto the sand on the other side next to the lake.

Flat on his back, Littlefoot looked up over his up-turned belly back towards the hedge he had just fallen through. Slightly breathless, he rolled on his side and up to standing again. That was definitely not a response he had been expecting and yet, it happened so quickly, he didn't get a good look at the human's face, even though they locked eyes for a second. Littlefoot's mind burned on a split decision. Should he go back in? What if he scared it again? What if it WASN'T him? What if this human was dangerous? Ignoring his basic instincts to flee when endangered, Littlefoot gulped a nervous swallow and stepped cautiously back towards the bush.

Delicately poking his head through the tattered leaves, Littlefoot looked into the tiny clearing.

"Wha?" he the gasped in surprise, "the human's gone!" The little patch of dirty sand, despite bearing craters of physical disturbance, was barren. The human had obviously been so frightened that it had fled the area. Littlefoot stepped into the clearing and scanned the bushes that enclosed the little sandy mound. Kicking up the loose soil in his sweeping three-sixty turn, he then sighed heavily. The human was nowhere to be seen.

"…I didn't even get a good look at him…" he mumbled to himself, "…was that him? It looked like him but…" Feeling slightly disheartened his speculation remained unconfirmed, Littlefoot turned back to the oasis's pool knowing that the human was now long gone. Disappeared without a trace.

"I guess I won't know now. I'm gonna have to try and find my way out of here and back to the Great Valley, somehow. I don't know how long I've been away from home, but I'll bet Grandma and Grandpa must be worried." Littlefoot, after a few more mouthful of water, turned to a sandy track loosely covered by the surrounding foliage and followed it out of the oasis. Stood on its border, he gazed out into an arid land of hard-baked, red earth. The horizon was long and bare as the cracked ground which was punched full of varying deep pits and towering elevations making the land greatly staggered.

"…The Mysterious Beyond…It seems like no matter how many times I step out into it, I see a whole new part of it." Littlefoot examined the landscape, trying to deduce a viable bearing in which to travel in. The land wavered in the strong heat of the sun that had claimed dominion over the cloudless sky.

"I have no idea where I am…but I've got to find my way home…somehow. Well, my friends and I have done it before; so I can't see why I can't do it again. Even if I am…all alone…"

Finally, with a deep breath, Littlefoot looked at the horizon and a mental click sounded in his head. He'd made his decision.

"Well…here goes…" he said to himself taking a bold step forward. Despite embarking on countless other adventures, this time would be very much like the first. It were as if he were discovering the Great Valley all over again as he trotted across the jagged wastelands of the Mysterious Beyond. Just like his first ever adventure had started, the brave young longneck set out to find the fabled Great Valley, facing the entire dinosaur world, alone.


	15. Canyon Trail Peril

Chapter 14: Canyon Trail Peril

After a few hours, Littlefoot still found himself wandering the barren, forsaken lands of the Mysterious Beyond in search of his beloved Great Valley. He had no idea where he was heading, let alone where the Great Valley actually was but he kept plodding onwards with nothing but his sheer determination to be reunited with his friends and loving grandparents. The sun glared down on the young longneck mercilessly but Littlefoot's gait didn't slow as he traversed the zigzag, cracked earth which was hot underfoot. The outstretched wastelands offered very little in the way of sentient life but this suited him fine. From his given experiences, the only other dinosaurs he happened to more frequently bump into in these hostile environments were normally carnivorous ones. Despite this, Littlefoot kept his mind at ease by humming and singing songs that he and his friends seemed to be able to spontaneously construct with little or no previous rehearsals.

After humming his tune of 'No One Has To Be Alone' for what must have been the eleventh time, Littlefoot paused mid-chorus and looked on a little further. Slowing to a halt, he gazed out at the landscape to find that his road had suddenly disappeared. Before him was a yawning chasm that stretched far into the distance. Stepping closer to the edge, Littlefoot peered over the side and down into the pit. Slipping his front foot forward, a small stone rolled off the edge and fell into the gorge. Littlefoot swallowed hard as he heard the echo of the clattering stone emanate from the dry bottom almost a good ten seconds from when he had first kicked it off.

"That's a long way down," he whimpered as he eyed the inside ledge, "and there is no way to get down from this side. I can't go this way." Littlefoot puffed in frustration. He'd travelled this long just to come to a dead end. The chasm led on for miles but there was no safe way to descend into it. Stepping back from the ledge, Littlefoot glanced around for some means of continuance. Then, Littlefoot spotted a path to his right. Jutting out of the side of the mountainous rocks was a flat ledge that led over the gorge, all the way around the outer edge. The incline looked steep and the path appeared narrow, but it was, by any means, a way to advance.

"_That ledge looks like it goes all the way around. I wonder if it will help me get to the other side_," he thought. With no other alternative route besides turning back, Littlefoot trotted over to the pathway and started to climb its sloped incline.

It didn't take Littlefoot long to realise just how high the ledge actually climbed. Every so often, he glanced over the open left side of the gravelled trail at admire (and fear) the deathly plummet that grew deeper and deeper as he made his way up and along the canyon wall. By the time the ledge had begun to level out, Littlefoot found himself battling for breath.

"Phew…trail's a lot steeper than it looks…" he puffed slowing his pace to rest for a moment. Looking up as he inhaled deeply, Littlefoot gazed at the high-perched road ahead of him. There was no sight of its end but it twisted and turned before him, mimicking the cliff's bulging outcroppings. Having recovered suitably, Littlefoot pressed on, still driven to find his way home.

Trekking the solemn path high up in the canyon, Littlefoot paused when he came across a divide in his track. He stood flicking his head from left to right trying to decide on which route to take. The path to the left looked like a more natural continuation of the trail he was already on but it still appeared to have no end, the further into the distance his gaze followed it. On the contrary, the right hand path seemed to cut through the canyon wall to reveal a thin ravine in between. The pathway was littered with boulders and large chunks of rock making it a laborious trek. However, Littlefoot could see an end to the track which led out into what looked like an open flat of land free of the vast gaping pits that this area seemed to have in surplus. The hot, breathy wind blew dust in his face and howled in his ears like a mischievous spirit trying to break his concentration and divert his attention. Still, Littlefoot stood unable to make a choice. Both paths looked an equal test of endurance yet there was no way to tell if either route would be of any help getting him closer to home.

"_Ugh…which way?_" his mind nagged as he took another look at the left hand path, "_I can't see where this one ends…but it might take me further if I continue to follow it._" He then looked to the right hand track again.

"…_but this one…I can see a way out of here. Only problem is, I might end up wandering around in circles out there in that huge open area._" Littlefoot huffed as the wind continued to play with his face irritably.

"Maybe…if I go right, maybe I can follow the mountain from the other side. I'm sure that they'd take me to the same place." With his vote going in favour of the deviant path off to the right, Littlefoot headed down and into the narrow chasm.

"I guess one route is as good as the other. Besides, I'm kinda happy to get away from that giant hole." His mind decided, Littlefoot turned to the right to head for the open plains at the far end of the long open-roofed tunnel.

Clambering over the supersized boulders that were wedged in his path, Littlefoot trudged his way through the rocky enclosure. Hopping from one rock to the next , Littlefoot craned his neck up and back to stare up at the ravine walls that encased him in this claustrophobic natural corridor.

"_Whoa…they're really high,_" his mind piped. He eyed the jagged and irregular surface and cringed slightly.

"I sure don't like the look of all those big rocks up there," he spoke aloud, "even the tiniest of earthshakes could make them fall." Dipping his head as a fearful shiver snaked down his spine, he quickly reverted his eyes to the path ahead. Having now dragged the boulders' presence to his immediate attention; he suddenly felt as if they were now, somehow, watching him. Their prying eyes following his every step. Littlefoot, having tripped on a small rock, stumbled a little and shook his head to help dislodge the crazy thought. However, despite dismissing the idea, it still made him uneasy knowing they were hovering over him precariously.

Traversing just over three-quarters of the bumpy trail, Littlefoot was pleased to find the passageway was widening and its end was in sight. Jumping from a high boulder to a lower one, he breathed a relieving sigh. Despite having trekked the chasm's length without pause, Littlefoot felt his weary body receive a second wind and he quickened his pace.

"_Almost there…_" he sang mentally amidst his gliding strides. Then, as Littlefoot dismounted the last boulder before the flat straight out into the open, a deafening cry echoed into the ravine. Littlefoot froze in his tracks, sliding on the loose pebbles on the dusty floor.

"What was that?!" he gasped trying to locate the source of the cry, "sounded like a scream…and close by too."

The frightened yell had now made Littlefoot feel jittery. He couldn't see where it had come from but its proximity and volume was very unnerving. Littlefoot reluctantly edged his way closer to the open mouth of the narrow ravine when another fearful cry rang out. He paused again. The voice sounded young and within a much closer vicinity yet still remained untraceable. Littlefoot's nerves prickled as he slowly slipped forwards again. He hugged the right wall as he crept up to the exit of the canyon. Upon reaching three feet of the end of the wall, Littlefoot flinched as something came tearing around the corner at a blistering pace. It hit Littlefoot square-on forcing him to topple backwards and land on his back. Littlefoot groaned and rolled onto his side as his bearings slowly rectified themselves and the pain dissipated. Shaking the dizziness from his head, he opened his eyes and looked to where he was stood a few seconds ago before being bowled over. Littlefoot gasped when he got a glimpse of what had hit him head-on. Laying, eagle-sprawled on its back, was the human he had found back at the oasis where he himself had awakened from.

"_That human!_" his brain piqued with excitement but Littlefoot drew another sharp breath when he saw the human sit up and rub its smarting head gingerly. Littlefoot suddenly felt hesitant. Given this human's reaction the first time he saw him, would it react the same way on the second meeting?

Watching the human move seemed to entomb Littlefoot's entire body in a block of ice. He was rooted to the spot in a jittery awestruck silence; unable to take his eyes off the human yet unable to move. Then, as Littlefoot had initially feared, the human looked up at him and stared with wide, gaping eyes; its mouth hung open aghast. Littlefoot didn't know what to do. He didn't want to startle the human but he did want to say something to it. Before Littlefoot could open his mouth to speak, the human leapt up off its backside and scrambled to its feet. It looked ready to turn around and flee back out into the open plains it came from.

"No wait!" Littlefoot blurted out without thinking. He quickly bit his tongue to prevent himself from saying anything else; he didn't want the human to run away. Nevertheless, the human took a snappy glance behind it before kicking off into a dash. To Littlefoot's amazement, the human didn't double back the way it had come from. Instead, it darted straight past him. Littlefoot, blinded by the rush of the passing human, turned around to see the human already climbing the first boulder frantically.

"H-hey! Hey, wait a second!" Littlefoot shouted to its back, "Come back! What are you running for? I won't…"

Suddenly, Littlefoot's voice became lodged in his throat. The ground began to tremble and a low rumbling echoed in the mouth of the chasm. The tremors quivered their way up through the balls of Littlefoot's feet as the loose pebbles danced and rattled at another shockwave that pulsed through the floor. Frightful thoughts began to shoot through his mind as the booming shakes fell at regular intervals…like footsteps; and they were getting louder. A fearing shudder flooded his body as Littlefoot looked back to the exit of the chasm. All of a sudden, a giant dinosaur emerged from around the right hand wall. Its physical appearance was instantly recognisable by its short, stumpy, twin-clawed arms, its gargantuan size, its merciless reptilian eyes and mouth full of razor sharp, flesh stripping teeth.

"Oh no…" Littlefoot breathed backing up slowly, "…a sharptooth!"

The beast arched its head around the corner as if to smell the fearful scent emanating from Littlefoot's trembling position. It locked eyes with the terrified young longneck for a brief second before letting out a mighty roar that seemed to shake the entire ravine. Deafened by the tremendous outcry, Littlefoot immediately whipped around and dashed back the way he came. The monstrous carnivore, on seeing his desperate attempt to escape, growled lowly before setting off after him. Quickly accelerating to full bounding strides, Littlefoot sprinted towards the ledges overlooking the enormous gorge. All the while, he could hear and feel the thunderous footfalls of the pursuing sharptooth right behind him. A panicked gasp escaped Littlefoot's mouth as he found himself fast approaching one of the many giant rocks littering the chasm floor. Knowing any amount of loss of speed brought him ever closer to the sharptooth's hungry jaws, Littlefoot leapt from one boulder to vault to a higher one, eager to scale the blockage and distance himself from the sharptooth giving chase.

With each leap, Littlefoot zigzagged his way up the rocks but his vertical ascent was allowing the sharptooth to close in on him. Three-quarters of the way up, Littlefoot took another hop to reach the top. To his horror, he felt his landing front feet slip on the loose shingle dusting the top of the highest boulder. The rolling pebbles tumbled down to the ground carrying Littlefoot with them, but he was determined not to fall back down. Digging his feet as hard as he could into the rock's face, Littlefoot gripped a lip on the edge of the boulder to prevent himself from falling. Gravity seemed to multiply it dragging pull as Littlefoot groaned and struggled to haul his body up onto the barricade's summit. Just then, Littlefoot heard a blood-curdling roar erupt from behind him. Glancing backwards, Littlefoot gaped on seeing the rampaging sharptooth heading straight for him. From his dangling position, he was in perfect line to be snapped up in a single bite. A flush of fear and dread coursed through him. Mustering all his strength, Littlefoot heaved his great weight up and onto the edge of the rock.

With chest and belly hauled onto the ledge, Littlefoot pulled his remaining half up onto the boulder just as the fearsome beast lunged at him. Flicking his tail clear, the sharptooth's overly committed attack forced it to crash into the wall of boulders. The impact rumbled the barricade making Littlefoot unsteady on his feet but he maintained his balance. Breathing a sigh of relief, Littlefoot peered over the edge of the boulder where his carnivorous chaser stood uttering low growls and threatening grumbles. Thankfully, the blockade was too high for the sharptooth to jump up onto.

"Phew…made it," he beamed, grateful to be out of reach of danger at last. Unable to stare down the sharptooth any longer, Littlefoot turned back to head in the proper direction.

"Where'd that human get to…" he pondered as he descended the other side of the wall, "I hope he's okay." Silently, as Littlefoot continued the lumpy trail, his mind began to tick over curious thoughts about the human's persona. Could that human really be his old friend? "_Hmm…I wonder…_" He hadn't had the chance to talk to the human properly and, despite its peculiar behaviour on their previous meetings, that seemed uncharacteristic of his friend in mind, it didn't prevent that small spark in the rear of his mind suggesting that it could be him.

Soon, having followed the path back to the canyon, Littlefoot stopped and stared. Before him was another high rocky wall only this time, there were no smaller boulders to use as steps to clamber over. However, that was not what had stolen his attention. Stood at the base of the high ledge, trying furiously to claw its way up the barrier, with little success, was the fleeing human. Littlefoot, although only observing from a few yards away, kept his distance. He didn't want to frighten it again but he eagerly wanted to try to interact with it. The human hadn't seen him yet and was far too occupied trying fruitlessly to scale the boulder. Cautiously, Littlefoot crept forward, trying his best not to make too much noise. The human was trapped within the boulder and the ravine walls, and Littlefoot was advancing along the only other route; so it had nowhere to run. Littlefoot was able to get within a few feet of the scrambling human as it made another failed attempt to reach the high ledge. The human slid down the rock face and onto its knees, muttering to itself irritably.

Suddenly, Littlefoot's foot kicked a loose stone and it clattered noisily ahead of him. He cringed at the audible rattling sound which reverberated between the towering ravine walls. Like a gunshot, the human jerked its head around and glared at the longneck; its face taut with fear. Littlefoot cursed his luck for alerting the human but at least now it knew he was there. It was an inevitability that would happen sooner or later. He took a tender step forwards which instantly sparked a nervous response. The human shuffled away from him, pushing its back up against the rock it was attempting to climb. Sensing its nervousness, Littlefoot stood his distance and decided on a different approach. Slowly and softly, Littlefoot spoke to it.

"Err…umm…hi," he said as gently as he could but it was difficult for him to mask his own nervousness. He bowed his head in an effort to appear less threatening. The human's expression didn't change but it did offer a reply. In a similar fashion to their previous encounter at the oasis, the human let out a terrified scream before leaping to its feet.

"No, no! Please! Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you," Littlefoot begged, stepping up to it. The human was not convinced and began scratching and clawing at the boulder's face.

"Please, calm down. I'm not here to harm you, I promise," Littlefoot pleaded. Then, to his awe, despite not aimed for him to hear, the human spoke back.

"I…I'm going mad! Crazy!" it babbled hysterically, "This isn't real! This is all a dream…a fantasy. I'm really asleep back in my room. I'm only dreaming that that dinosaur is talking to me! It's not real! None of this is!"

"No, you're not dreaming," Littlefoot assured the stammering boy, "this is real I assure you. You're not…OWW!" Littlefoot winced when a stone suddenly hit him in the face.

"Get back! Get away! Go on, beat it!" the human yelled panic-stricken. It had started pelting Littlefoot with the stones it could scrape from the ground, trying to repel him.

"Hey! OWW! Hey, stop it! STOP! OUCH!" Littlefoot complained as more hard stones struck him.

"Stop pretending it hurts; you're not real so it can't possibly be hurting you," the human barked. Littlefoot turned his head away from the projectiles being hurled at him. Whilst shielding himself from the assault, Littlefoot swung his tail up through the air just as the human launched another stone at him. With his tail coiled, Littlefoot whipped it outwards, catching the aerial stone in mid-flight. He batted the rock directly back the way it came in self-defence. A second later, the human let out a yelp of pain. Littlefoot looked up, when the rainfall of stones suddenly stopped, to find the human clutching its face.

"Ungh…nyah…owww…Ohh my face," it seethed with discomfort.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hit you. Are you alright?" Littlefoot apologised running forward to see what damage he had unintentionally caused.

"Argh…jeez! Caught me straight between the eyes. Ahh…ohh damn that hurt!" Littlefoot ducked his head under the boy's hanging face which he was still massaging.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to; it was an accident. Are you okay?" Littlefoot asked genuinely concerned.

"Yeah…I'm alright," the human said removing his cupped hands from the bridge of his nose. Then, the human gasped when he realised he was literally face-to-face with the dinosaur. He hopped back a little but Littlefoot immediately followed him up.

"Don't be scared. It's okay, really. I'm not your enemy," he reassured the boy complete with a warm, friendly smile.

"You…you really can speak. But…but how?" the human boy stammered. He clearly was dumbfounded by Littlefoot's presence and natural ability to talk but these expressions and questions threw Littlefoot. His human friend, Jason, already knew these facts about him yet, here he was running over common knowledge grounds he thought they had already tread and dismissed. Why would he be asking them again? Had he forgotten about him?

For the first time, Littlefoot was able to get a good look at the boy. His features and physical appearance all seemed to resemble his own friend, but the boy's mentality and hostile behaviour towards him conflicted with the theories Littlefoot had already concocted in his mind.

"Where is this place? How'd I get here?" the boy asked but Littlefoot didn't answer, "well, wherever it is, if anything can come back and hit me that hard in the nose and hurt that much; it can't be a dream."

Littlefoot, still a little lost in his own thoughts, then decided to test out one of his theories. But he decided to attempt it passively.

"I'm Littlefoot," he then said.

"Huh? Littlefoot?" the boy repeated, blinking in astonishment.

"Yeah. That's my name," Littlefoot chirped. He had baited the hook and was expecting an immediate reply. It was a sure fire way of proving if this boy truly was his human friend, "What's your name?"

"Me? I'm…" the boy started but he paused in mid-sentence. Littlefoot saw the boy's attention was diverted and he was looking beyond him. Then, all of a sudden, a dreadful cry thundered through the narrow ravine. Littlefoot snapped his head around and glared down the path. Something was moving in the distance and it was heading straight for them.

"Oh no! It's the sharptooth!" Littlefoot yelped.

"That T-Rex thing?! It followed you?!" the boy whimpered anxiously.

"It must have gotten over the rock back there. We'd better get outta here!" Littlefoot suggested turning to the giant boulder blocking the way.

"But how? It's too high," the boy exclaimed staring up at the huge rock. Littlefoot positioned himself sideways next to the rock so he was parallel to it.

"Here, climb on my back. I'll give you a boost," he offered ducking his head and tail low. The boy blinked in awe for a second just as the booming footsteps started to gain volume and the roar echoed over them both.

"C'mon, quickly!" Littlefoot urged.

"Right," the boy nodded.

Squatting down, Littlefoot allowed the human boy to clamber onto his back. Ignoring the pressure forcing down on his spine, once the boy was on top, Littlefoot strained to push him up higher.

"That's it…a little further," the boy announced, his outstretched fingers close to the ledge.

"I…ugh…I can't stand up any taller. Can you reach it?"

"I'm not far off but I…can't…quite…" The boy struggled to grab hold of the ledge but it was just out of reach. Littlefoot looked out to the path leading up to them. The sharptooth's ominous bulk was becoming larger with every pounding footstep it took.

"Come on…hurry!" Littlefoot stressed to the boy.

"Okay. I'm gonna try and jump for it. This might hurt ya a bit so I'm sorry if I do."

"It's okay, really. Go for it." The boy nodded. Littlefoot felt an increasing pressure push down on his back as the boy coiled up. He then jumped up and fumbled for the edge. He caught it and scrambled gracelessly up. Littlefoot, moving from underneath him, placed his head under one of the boy's flailing feet. Stretching his neck, Littlefoot pushed the boy up allowing him to climb atop the boulder.

"I'm up!" he announced.

"Great!" Littlefoot smiled but he quickly lost it when he looked back at the advancing Tyrannosaurus Rex, "Now, how can I get up?" Littlefoot looked up at the boy who was looking off into the distance. His gaze was transfixed on the monstrous dinosaur heading for them. It let out another chilling roar that made the pair shudder.

Then, to Littlefoot's horror, he saw the boy do the unthinkable. His blood turned icy and his lungs failed to draw breath as he witnessed the boy turn tail and flee from atop the boulder and out of sight.

"No! Hey wait! You can't just leave me here! I thought you were going to help me! HEEEYY!" Littlefoot's yells fell on deaf ears; the boy didn't respond. Littlefoot felt completely forsaken. He couldn't believe that the human had used him to escape and left him to be devoured by the charging sharptooth. Littlefoot continued to shout up to the boy, hoping his beseeching cries would bring him back. There was no reply. The boy really had hopelessly abandoned him.

Littlefoot whirled around as the rumbling gait of the sharptooth quickened. It had seen him and was now on the final charge. It would be on him in no time but he was completely trapped. Just then, Littlefoot heard a noise from behind him.

"Hey! Hey, Littlefoot! Watch yourself!" a voice called to him. Looking back up to the top of the boulder, Littlefoot saw a shifting rock teetering dangerously over the edge. He leapt to the side just as the large rock toppled over the edge and crashed down to the ground. As the dust settled, Littlefoot could see the boy kneeling over the side of the boulder.

"C'mon Littlefoot! Climb up! Use the rock!" he said pointing at the large rock he had just shoved over and down to Littlefoot's level. Without wasting another second, Littlefoot hopped onto his new step and leapt up to the higher platform. It was still a little high so Littlefoot could only manage to get his front feet up where he clung to the edge. With the rampaging T-Rex not far behind, Littlefoot pulled with all his might.

"Let me help you," the boy offered grabbing the longneck by one of his legs. Together they were able to lift Littlefoot up and on top of the boulder. Both wheezing, the pair stopped for a moment, trying to recover their lost stamina.

"…Thanks…" Littlefoot managed to puff on a sharp exhale.

"…No problem…" the boy smiled, his hands on his knees. Their respite did not last longer as another thunderous roar bellowed out at them. Littlefoot and the boy looked back at the path the sharptooth was coming from and it didn't appear to be slowing down.

"Whoa…he looks mighty pissed…" the boy stammered anxiously, watching the T-Rex stampede towards them.

"Run! This way!" Littlefoot yelled to the boy, signalling the opposite way. There was no need for the boy to be told twice as he took off after Littlefoot. Glancing back, Littlefoot and the boy were alarmed to see the speeding T-Rex had leapt up onto the blockade in a single bound and was immediately on the chase again.

"Ohh crap! He just hopped right over it like it was a garden fence!" the boy cried, trying to keep up with Littlefoot.

"Keep running! The sharptooth can't get to us if we can get to the other side of the pathway," Littlefoot said.

"Why'dya say that?"

"The cliff ledges are too narrow for someone that big to walk on. We've got to get back to that giant hole at the far end of the canyon!"

"If you say so." The boy nodded but quickly let out a terrified cry as the sharptooth made a snatch at him. The boy ducked forward just as the vicious bite snapped close behind him. Panicked, the boy pushed every ounce of energy he had into his hasty strides as he and Littlefoot leapt and dodged from side to side; traversing through the rocks and boulders whilst avoiding the snapping attacks from behind.

Suddenly, Littlefoot was forced to dodge to the right as a huge rock rained down from the sky and crashed right in front of him. Looking up, Littlefoot gasped when he saw the great walls of the chasm starting to shake. Loose pebbles were tumbling out of the canyon walls followed by larger rocks.

"Look out! Falling rocks!" Littlefoot warned. The boy looked skywards to see a meteor shower of rocks beginning to rain down on them.

"My God! We'll be crushed!" the boy shrieked, side-stepping the fallen debris as best he could at speed. Then, the boy and Littlefoot were surprised to hear a deafening cry from their pursuer. It sounded like it was in pain. Realising that the trembling, crashing footsteps had now ceased, Littlefoot and the boy slowed down and looked around at the T-Rex.

"It's not chasing us anymore," the boy exclaimed, relieved to finally be able to catch his breath.

"It looks hurt," Littlefoot said between deep breaths, "maybe, with all those falling rocks, one of them must have hit him."

"I'm not surprised. The way he was banging around, the tremors are probably what shook the rocks loose in the first place."

The two boys continued to watch the T-Rex shake its head like it was trying to shake off a dizzy spell. Between them and the T-Rex, a mass array of rocks of various sizes littered the ravine floor. With feet as massive as the T-Rex's, it was proving difficult for it to manoeuvre through the tight corridor whilst snatching at two targets so small. Still determined not to be deny its prey, the sharptooth turned and looked at Littlefoot and the unnamed boy. The pair of them whimpered in fear at the murderous glint in the beast's eye and instantly turned and fled. The sharptooth, having recovered, leapt over and through the boulders in its way to continue the hunt. Fortunately enough for Littlefoot and the boy, the rocks that had fallen onto the path did little to slow them as they weaved in and out of their stuck-fast positions. The T-Rex, on the other hand, was struggling to keep up its speed as it occasionally tripped and stumbled on some of the larger rocks.

"Look! We're almost at the end!" Littlefoot shouted gleefully. The boy looked up after quick-stepping another obstacle.

"I see it!" he called back, admiring the opening at the far end of the ravine. The T-Rex continued to pound and paw its way recklessly over the bumpy terrain, trying its best to keep up. Then, the beast's foot caught on one of the larger boulders lying in the middle of the track. Failing to clear it properly, it tripped and was sent sprawling. Behind them , Littlefoot and the boy felt an almighty crash that rippled through the ground. The pair of them stopped and looked back. The sharptooth was laying on its front, growling in frustration as it writhed and wriggled in an attempt to right itself.

"He tripped over," the boy said awestruck, hardly believing his luck.

"All the rocks in the way must have made him fall over," Littlefoot realised. The boy nodded but then flinched as a sprinkle of dust and shingle dropped just inches from his face. Startled, the boy looked up and gasped.

"Littlefoot! Look out!" he yelled dashing over to the young longneck. Littlefoot looked over to him, shocked by the boy's sudden outcry. Before he could reply, Littlefoot felt the boy ram into him, forcing him against the right hand wall. Confused at first, Littlefoot was about to question the boy's actions when a giant boulder plummeted down and smashed into the floor exactly where Littlefoot was stood just a few seconds previously.

"Whoa! That was too close," the boy sighed wiping his forehead.

"You…you saved me?!" Littlefoot stuttered in disbelief. The boy simply smiled at him. Littlefoot returned the gesture with a grateful smile of his own.

Their joy was short lived however as the entire ravine started to tremble and shake. They gazed around as they saw more rocks and boulders rain down on them from above.

"Oh no! The place is gonna cave in!" the boy cried, shielding his head with his arms.

"Quick! Let's get out of here!" Littlefoot ordered. The two boys shot off as the rainstorm of giant rocks continued to shower down on them. They ducked and weaved their way through the collapsing chasm, desperate to reach the other end.

"A little farther," Littlefoot edged, pushing himself to run faster.

"Hey! There's a split in the road ahead," the boy noticed before turning to the longneck galloping beside him, "which way Littlefoot?"

"Right! Go right!" Littlefoot shouted. He was almost drowned out by a loud clattering rumble above them. Looking up, they could see the very top of the canyon wall starting to crumble and a mass of rocks were beginning to tumble right at the path's exit.

"It's gonna seal us in!" the boy cried fretfully.

"C'mon…faster!" Littlefoot urged.

The pair watched the cascading rocks as they began to collect in the pathway. With one last burst of speed, Littlefoot passed through the forming barricade. He then paused and turned.

"C'mon, hurry!" he yelled to the boy who was just behind him. The collection of rocks was multiplying, threatening to keep them apart. The boy kicked off as fast as possible and, with a small leap, he dropped to the floor and slid across the dirty ground. The boy laid as flat as he could as he passed under the plunging boulders just as a huge one slammed to the ground, closing the passageway. Misjudging his speed, the boy found himself continuing to slide across the floor. He gasped when he realised just how short the ledge over the chasm was. Unable to slow himself down significantly enough, the boy wailed as he shot out over the cliff. With a quick twist, the boy managed to catch the ledge before he flew off and down into the yawning pit.

"Help!" he screamed, his voice bouncing off the canyon walls and replaying again in reverb. Littlefoot dashed over to him.

"Here, grab on!" Littlefoot ordered, hanging his tail over the edge and down to the boy. Apprehensively, the boy let go of the ledge with one hand to reach for Littlefoot's tail. Whilst making the switch, the ledge lip the boy was holding onto with his other hand crumbled away. The boy wailed and snatched at Littlefoot's tail as the rock face gave way in his grasp. Clutching Littlefoot's appendage for dear life, the boy heard the longneck straining as Littlefoot slowly inched him up the cliff.

Safely back on solid ground, both Littlefoot and the boy collapsed from sheer exhaustion. Chests heaving, they sucked in mouthfuls of air to help them recover their sapped energy.

"Whew…thanks Littlefoot. You saved my life," the boy panted sitting up having been eagle-spread on his back a second beforehand.

"Don't mention it. You saved me from that giant falling rock. If you hadn't pushed me out the way, I would have been crushed. I guess that makes us even," Littlefoot smiled talking between gulping breaths.

"Man oh man. I still can't get over all this. This still feels like some sorta wacked-out dream…but those threats certainly felt real enough. Jeez, my heart is still pounding."

"My heart's pounding too," Littlefoot added. The two of them locked eyes for a moment before the pair chuckled.

"I'm just glad we left that sharptooth behind. He's the last thing I wanted following me," Littlefoot said, finally finding the strength to stand.

"'_Sharptooth_'? Is that what you call that monster back there?" the boy asked, still seated.

"Yeah. That's what we call all meat eaters," Littlefoot explained and the boy nodded.

"So…are all dinosaurs like you called '_Littlefoot_'?"

"No, no. Littlefoot is MY OWN name," the young dinosaur giggled, "I'm a longneck."

"I see…makes sense," the boy laughed. Littlefoot's smile grew wider on hearing the boy laugh.

"So where are you heading?" the boy then asked.

"I'm trying to make my way home; back to the Great Valley. But I can't say I know exactly where it is. I've never been or seen this area before."

"The Great Valley…" the boy hummed.

"What about you? Where are you going?" Littlefoot then returned.

"Me? I have no idea," the boy shrugged, "I don't even know where '_here_' is, let alone where I'm going. I'm not even a hundred percent sure how I even got '_here_'." A spark then clicked in Littlefoot's mind.

"Well…do you want to come along with me?" The boy was dumbstruck by the little longneck's offer.

"What? Come with you to your home?" the boy asked a little taken aback.

"Sure. You'll be safe there. You won't have to worry about sharpteeth in the Great Valley," Littlefoot said, "and from there, you can figure out what you want to do. At least you won't be wandering around in the Mysterious Beyond."

"You sure? You'd let me come with you?" the boy asked. He was still shocked by the generous offer. Littlefoot nodded in verification.

"Well sure," the boy beamed, "sure I'll go with you."

"Great," Littlefoot exclaimed as he started heading off down the narrow path alongside the cliff, "I think it's this way."

"Good enough for me," the boy smiled as he stood up and dusted himself off to follow, "Oh hey, Littlefoot…" Littlefoot paused and glanced back at the human boy.

"By the way…my name's Kairyn."

"Kairyn?"

"Yeah…or Kai for short, if you prefer." Littlefoot smiled and nodded. He was pleased to have finally learned the boy's name but, at the same time, he felt his heart sink a little. It really wasn't Jason and the name revelation proved it. Still, he was glad to have a travelling companion to journey with him. At least he would no longer be alone and that did offer him some comfort.

"Okay Kairyn; you ready?" Littlefoot asked with another friendly smile.

"Lead the way Littlefoot," Kairyn returned as the pair set off along the rest of the mountainous trail.


	16. The Fourth Stone Holder

Chapter 15: The Fourth Stone Holder

With their traumatising ordeal of being pursued by the rampaging Tyrannosaurus Rex successfully evaded, Littlefoot and his newly found travelling companion, Kairyn, continued their perilous trek across the yawning gorge high up on the cliff edge. The wind howled around the open top of the mountainous walls as if some murderous predator dwelled deep in the canyon somewhere, hungrily awaiting either one to lose their footing. Thankfully, Littlefoot and Kairyn were extra vigilant to ensure that every step they took saw them traverse the massive canyon safely. The heat of the sun began to lose its piercing sting on the weary pair as it started its descent from its heavenly pedestal. In its lowly sweep, the sky deepened its burning shades of fiery oranges to give way to a calming ocean of royal blue in the wake of the approaching evening.

"We've been walking for hours along this cliff path and there's still no sign of an end to it," Kairyn sighed looking further along the dusty suspended road.

"Yeah, the Bright Circle's already started coming down from the sky; it'll be dark soon," Littlefoot added. He was drained from the day's trek under the pulsing intensity of the sun and the balls of his feet ached and seethed with every additional step he took.

"'The Bright Circle'?" Kairyn quizzed as he trudged behind Littlefoot.

"Yeah. The big, bright circle of light in the sky," he explained nodding over to the blazing ball that was sinking behind the opposite canyon wall, "we call it 'the Bright Circle'." Littlefoot glanced back over his shoulder to admire the expression on Kairyn's face as the logic sank in.

"Oh, you mean the Sun? The 'Bright Circle' huh?...Makes sense," Kairyn hummed. He then overheard Littlefoot snickering, "what's so funny?"

"Oh nothing," the little longneck mused, "you just sounded like my friend Jason is all. He asked me the exact same question when I first met him." Kairyn paused, a little stunned.

"Jason? That sounds like a human name. I never would have thought that dinosaurs would have names that are similar to human ones?" Kairyn pondered. Littlefoot laughed a little more.

"No, no. Jason IS a human. That is his name," he beamed. Kairyn stumbled and nearly toppled over.

"What! You've actually met a human being?!" he babbled astonished.

"Yeah, me and my friends have met quite a few humans, but Jason was the first one I met."

"B-b…but…how is that possible?"

"He came through a strange blue circle of light. A 'doorway' he called it. He came to our land from the human world. But that was some time ago now."

"Well…what happened to him? Does he live with you in the Great Valley?"

"He did for a while. He lived with me and my grandparents. But he went back to the human world with Jill and Mr Stone. I haven't heard from any of them since that day they left."

"Mr Stone? Jill and Jason?" Kairyn said plunging into thought. Littlefoot quickly picked up on his curious hum.

"Do you know them Kairyn?" he asked hopefully.

"No. Never heard those names before," he said shaking his head, "I'm just amazed that you said that you met a human being. By all accounts it's not something that would seem possible. That'll probably explain why you didn't have much of an issue approaching me back at that lake. I would have expected any dinosaur would have run a mile if something like that landed in their back garden. But I'm glad that of all the dinosaurs I could have met, I'm glad I bumped into you first."

"Thanks Kairyn," Littlefoot said smiling as a warm feeling bubbled up inside him on hearing Kairyn's kind words.

"I'm just sorry that my initial welcoming was not so friendly. I'm sorry for slinging stones at you back there. I just…panicked." Littlefoot's smile grew wider.

"It's okay," he said watching a smile infectiously spread on Kairyn's face as well.

The two boys pressed on but soon found the rolling darkness of the forthcoming night descending on them alarmingly swiftly.

"It's getting difficult to see the path," Kairyn said. His head was aimed down so he could make out the narrow ledge in the failing light.

"You're right. We'd better find somewhere to stop and rest for the night," Littlefoot suggested.

"Okay but where? We can't just camp out here on the cliff edge. We'll be exposed to the elements; not to mention anything else that might be passing by. In all honesty, I'm surprised we've travelled this far without bumping into something else," Kairyn said. Littlefoot nodded and glanced ahead. Despite his vision was limited to only a few feet, Littlefoot noticed a little alcove punched into the side of the cliff face, just in front of them.

"Look Kairyn. There's a cave just up ahead," he announced, "maybe we can use it to rest in for the night." Kairyn pulled up right behind Littlefoot and tried to peer through the growing darkness.

"Yeah, I see it. I just hope no one's in it," he muttered. The two boys quickly trotted over to the nearside edge of the cave where Littlefoot poked his head around the corner to examine its contents.

"Doesn't look like anyone else is in here. And it looks deep enough to keep us out of sight," he reported before stepping around the bend to stand in the cave's mouth. Kairyn followed him up and stared into the concave crevice. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his Minicom and popped it open.

"What's that thing?" Littlefoot asked eyeing the little device inquisitively.

"My Minicom. Got everything I need stored and built into this little baby," Kairyn boasted as he then snapped the clam-shelled device shut and held it out in front of him vertically. Before Littlefoot could ask another question, he flinched back a little when a laser-blue stream of light shot out of the side of the Minicom, illuminating the cave.

"Shall we?" Kairyn grinned, advancing cautiously into the cave. Littlefoot, dazzled at first by the light, hopped in after Kairyn.

"I know we could continue using the Minicom's torch to light the way, but I reckon it'll be safer to travel during daylight seeing as we're not too sure as to where we're heading. That and I'm not sure how long the battery will last. We don't wanna end up stranded in an open field or something," Kairyn said as he shone the blue beam around the cave's inner walls, inspecting them, "doesn't look like there's any other way to get in here. You think we'll be okay in here?"

"Yeah, I think so," Littlefoot said still admiring the incandescent glow of the light emanating from Kairyn's bizarre item.

"Can't say I've really been one for camping out but it doesn't look like I've got much of a choice," Kairyn said sniggering as he deactivated the beam and joined Littlefoot at the cave's centre. Littlefoot settled down while Kairyn opened up his Minicom again and placed it in between them. Hitting a button on the screen, a blue holographic sphere floated up out of the screen and illuminated the area.

"This will give us some light; at least for a little while," he said as Littlefoot tried to poke the sphere with his nose but retracted his head when it fizzled and flickered.

"It's a hologram Littlefoot. It's not real," Kairyn chuckled reading Littlefoot's amazed expression as he wiggled his nose. He passed his hand through the glowing globe making it distort and warble before returning to its original shape.

"It's really strange but still amazing," Littlefoot piped impressively, still fascinated by the functionality of the little device, "Jason showed me lots of things from his world too. What did you say that shiny thing was again?"

"It's called a Minicom. Everyone in the human world's got one. It does pretty much everything," Kairyn explained just as his face stretched into a beaming grin, "I've modified mine with a little tinkering. I made a few adaptations and installed a few new applications. Most normal Coms don't have what I've got in this puppy. I've got low-risk energy tools, medical apps too including a bio-scanner and a…" That's when Kairyn looked up at Littlefoot and read the dumbstruck expression etched on his face. Clearly, everything he had just said had literally flown right over the young dinosaur's head as he sat there staring blankly at him, "Err…umm…let's just say; if anything comes up, this tool will be very helpful," he said simply. Littlefoot's pursed mien of sheer confusion slowly laxed.

"Did your friend Jason show you his Minicom?" Kairyn then asked, trying to lift the awkward air he had unintentionally laid.

"No. Jason showed me some very strange human things but never one of those things."

"What? He never had a Minicom?!" Kairyn exclaimed almost leaping out of his seat. He spoke as if the very idea was an impossibility, "Every kid in the country's got one. Where is he from anyways? The Antarctic Ice Shelves?" Littlefoot's face grew taut with confusion once again. He failed to take notice of the sarcasm in Kairyn's tone.

"Erm…no. I don't think Jason is from there," he replied naively, "I…I can't remember what he called his home…La- or Lu- something…?"

"Luton?" Kairyn guessed.

"No...it didn't sound quite that that."

"Lancaster? Liverpool? Land's End?" Kairyn offered but Littlefoot shook his head again.

"Nope…it didn't sound like any of those…"

"What about London? That's the only other 'L' I can think of. That is, unless, he is from another country?"

"'London'? Yeah, that sounds more like it. Yeah, I think it is," Littlefoot said with a nod.

"A fellow Londoner eh? Wonder what quadrant he's from?" Littlefoot looked at Kairyn vacantly again but Kairyn waved his hands in front of him dismissively, "don't worry, it was a rhetorical question. I wasn't expecting you to answer that one. It was just a passing thought. I live in London too. Second London to be exact. It's a great city given its history. A place you have to see to believe."

"But I have seen it though. And it wasn't too great from what I saw. It wasn't a very nice place," Littlefoot said sorrowfully.

"Whad'dya mean? Second London's a great place," Kairyn piped in defence, "what's there not to like about it?"

"When I saw it, everything was all cracked and broken. All the tall stone homes had fallen over, the water in the river was dirty and the humans…" Littlefoot then shuddered, breaking his sentence."

"What about the humans?" Kairyn asked leaning closer.

"They…they were all sick looking. Not how Jason, Jill and Stone looked. And they attacked us."

"They ATTACKED you?!"

"Yeah…just like sharpteeth. They scratched at us; tried to bite us too."

"That's not how London is," Kairyn frowned, "that sounds more like something outta a bad zombie flick or Old London maybe when it was still under quarantine."

"'Old' London?" Littlefoot asked.

"Yeah, when the virus outbreak was still rife back in the AD years…" Kairyn then paused in mid-sentence as a crazy thought jumped to mind, "…wait a minute. Are you saying you went to the London that was still in the midst of the virus outbreak?" Littlefoot merely shrugged.

"It must have been…I don't really know much about the human world. Only that the humans are all really sick and acted like sharpteeth," he said flatly.

"But….that happened over three hundred years ago! Well, three hundred years before my time anyway," Kairyn exclaimed, "how…how is that possible? That would make your human friends…well OVER three hundred years old!"

"Wow! Humans can live that long?" Littlefoot gasped.

"No, no. Only a very few humans have ever lived past the age of a hundred and fifty and that's thanks to some big advances in biological sciences and life-preserving technologies. It's scientifically impossible for your friends to be that old unless they were cryogenically frozen or…or could travel through time…" That's when Kairyn paused to think about what he had just said. Of course the concept sounded impossible, but all it took was for him to look around him and into the eyes of the juvenile brontosaurus sitting in front of him to get the realisation to hit him square in the face. It was very possible as Littlefoot jumped in,

"Well, it's not impossible. Jason was here and there was no way he was that old," he insisted, "he looked just about the same age as you Kairyn." Kairyn was lost in his thoughts. None of what Littlefoot had described made much sense yet there was no way he could have made it up. It was in fact a very vivid account of what had happened in London before his time and his given knowledge of human encounters and experiencing their traits and creations was impressive evidence of the clashing of two realms that, naturally, should never have occurred in the first place. It was clear that Kairyn had met a truly unique character who had experienced a lot more than he ever had.

After a few minutes silence, Littlefoot's last statement suddenly sank in and Kairyn spoke up,

"Hey Littlefoot. When you first found me, you called me 'Jason' didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," he responded.

"Tell me…why did you call me by that name?" Littlefoot paused for a second as he tried to rationalise his action at that time.

"Because…you look just like him. The way you have on those funny, difficult coloured, second skins, " he said gesturing at Kairyn's clothes, "they look similar to his. Then I saw your face and you reminded me of him. You even sound like him when you talk." Kairyn's eyes widened in awe.

"I really look like your friend that much? So much I even sound like him?" he said slowly and Littlefoot nodded with another warming smile.

"Yeah you do. I guess the only thing that makes you different from him is his stone."

"His stone? What do you mean by that?"

"His shining red stone on a gold vine. He always used to have it around his neck. I had one too. Mine was blue but not with a gold vine though."

"Where is your stone now? Back at your home?"

"No, Jason has it now. We swapped our stones right before he left for the human world. He gave me his red one and I always have it…" That's when Littlefoot glanced down at his chest and gasped in horror.

"Hey! No! It's gone!" he yelled leaping to his feet to check himself over.

"What's gone?" Kairyn asked rolling up to seat again having arched and limbered backwards to dodge Littlefoot's whipping tail as he spun around to examine himself and his surroundings.

"My stone! It's disappeared!" Littlefoot flapped, "Oh, where is it?! I can't believe I lost it!"

"Okay, whoa…calm down a sec," Kairyn pleaded narrowly evading another swipe of Littlefoot's tail. Littlefoot, almost dizzy from twirling around so much, looked back at Kairyn with darting eyes.

"Okay, retrace your steps. Where was the last place you remember having it?" Kairyn said carefully.

"Okay, lemme think…I remember having it when I was in the Great Valley but…I can't remember anything after that. I had that weird sleep story and then I woke up at that lake. You don't think I dropped it all the way back there do you?"

"I don't know. I don't recall seeing any red stone on you since I've been travelling with you. Something like that on a guy like you would definitely stand out," Kairyn said as he thought a little further back, "I can't say I remember you with anything on you when I saw you in that cyro-chamber back at Keltech either." Littlefoot snapped a stony gaze straight into Kairyn's eyes which made him flinch and clasp a hand over his mouth.

"You…you saw me…where?" he breathed in disbelief. Realising that he'd already said too much, Kairyn unfurled his fingers from in front of his lips.

"You were in a cyro-chamber in one of the labs in the Keltech Building in Second London. In my time," he explained cautiously, "I don't know how you got there. I found you completely by accident; asleep in a glass tube."

"You mean…I was..in the human world?!" Littlefoot whispered aghast. Kairyn started to feel awkward. He felt like he was burdening Littlefoot with terrible news and he seemed to be taking it rather hard.

"Yeah, I was in the room where you were being kept but there wasn't any red stone there. Only you and some weird black balls of some sort. They are what brought us here, I think. That's after the Black Ghost destroyed everything."

"The Black Ghost? Who's that?" Littlefoot asked. Kairyn bowed his head, breaking eye contact with Littlefoot. This question suddenly turned his tone icy and hateful.

"He's…a man…a man dressed all in black. No one know who he really is coz no one's ever seen his face. But I know what he is…" Kairyn said darkly.

"You know? You met him?" Littlefoot asked leaning closer to try and meet Kairyn's fallen eyes again.

"He's a murderer…"

"A murderer? I don't…I don't understand. What do you mean by 'a murderer'?" Littlefoot asked, slightly concerned by the wafting anger building in Kairyn's voice.

"The Black Ghost…he…he killed my father…" Kairyn seethed clenching a fist and squeezing it tight. Littlefoot felt a rush of air lock in his throat as he gasped in horror.

"No…oh Kairyn, I'm sorry," he apologised quickly.

"No need to be sorry. You didn't know. But the Black Ghost is responsible for all of this. He brought me here after he savagely killed…my own father," Kairyn muttered. He bit his quivering lip to fight back tears as his father's face flashed before his mind's eye. The cave fell eerily quiet with the build of tension between the two boys. Littlefoot was desperately trying to strike up a happier topic but before he could speak a word, Kairyn started again.

"Moments before Dad died, he gave me this and told me to do whatever it took to uncover what secrets it holds," he said slowly. Dipping his hand into his pocket, he pulled out something clamped in his palm. Stepping closer to Kairyn's face, Littlefoot glanced at him as he uncurled his fingers. The longneck's eyes lit up and his jaw dropped open. In Kairyn's palm was a glistening yellow gemstone shaped as a perfect, equilateral triangle.

"It's…it's another one?!" he gaped barely breathing.

"Another one? You know what this is?" Kairyn asked reading the dumbstruck expression on Littlefoot's face.

"Yeah…it looks just like one of those magic stones. I had one, Jason had one and so did Jill but…we thought there were only three stones. I've never seen a yellow one before."

"Magic?" Kairyn gasped looking from Littlefoot down to the triangular stone in his hand.

"Yes. Each stone had a special kind of magic that gave its owner a special power that only they could use."

"I…I could gain magic powers? Just from this stone?" Kairyn gawked.

"Yeah, but you have to find out what is special about it first," Littlefoot explained, "I wonder what this one is called?"

"They have name's too?"

"Yes. They each have a special name. It's been so long, I…I can't remember them," Littlefoot explained sounding a little frustrated by his faltered memory. The names of the stones had evaded him, "Oh, if only Jason were here. He could explain this all better than I can." Kairyn scratched his head.

"Man, I didn't realise there was so much to this little jewel," he said replacing the stone securely back into his pocket, "but, what are they used for?"

"I'm not sure what they are really meant for, but we used them to help us defeat a really bad human. She wanted to destroy everything, including us," Littlefoot said.

"She wanted to destroy you?! Who is this psycho?" Kairyn gawked.

"A human called the Red Phoenix. She could use the magic of the stones too," Littlefoot said as blurry images of his battle with the Red Phoenix shot before his vision.

"The Red Phoenix?"

"Jill, Jason, Stone and my friends fought her in the human world and in the Great Valley. We nearly lost our lives fighting her but we managed to beat her. Then, soon after that, Jason, Jill and Mr Stone went back to the human world."

"Sounds pretty epic; like some sort of 'legendary battle' or something," Kairyn jested which made Littlefoot smile as he wandered back over to his seated spot opposite him.

"I am glad it is all over but…" Littlefoot started but his tone then saddened, "…I do wish I could see Jason and the others again. When I saw you, I really did think that, maybe, he had come back." Kairyn ducked his head guiltily.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you Littlefoot," he said sheepishly, "but hey, if I got here, maybe there is a way you can get to see your friend again."

"You think so?"

"Why not? It seems impossible that he could be from so far back in human history but hey; look at me. Up until today, I thought it was impossible to travel through time but here I am. I'm sitting here in a cave high up in a prehistoric canyon talking to a kid brontosaurus who saved me from being chased by a sharptooth." Littlefoot giggled at him.

"I hope you're right Kairyn."

Just then, the cave was plunged into darkness as the light from the Minicom suddenly extinguished itself.

"What happened?" Littlefoot asked as he watched a silhouette of Kairyn shift in the dark. Scrambling blindly for his Minicom, Kairyn picked it up and examined it.

"The battery's gone. I'll have to recharge it via the solar panels when sun rises tomorrow morning," he said snapping the device shut, "suppose this is an ideal time to try and get some sleep huh?"

"I guess so," Littlefoot agreed as he patted down the hard earth to try and get comfy. Kairyn removed his hooded jacket, tucked it into a tight ball and set it down to rest his head upon.

"What a day," Kairyn yawned as he gazed out of the cave to admire the nocturnal view of the gaping canyon. Under the glittering starlight of the cloudless sky, it looked much more picturesque and beautiful to behold.

"Hey Littlefoot. Any idea how far it is to your home?" Kairyn then asked.

"No idea. But I'm sure I can find it again," the shadow that was Littlefoot replied optimistically.

"That's good to hear."

"I just hope my grandparents and my friends are alright. They must be really worried."

"I'm sure you'll run into them again. If they're anything like you, I'm looking forward to meeting them." Littlefoot then let out a light laugh.

"Hopefully you'll do better than Jason did. He frightened them all the first time he met Cera and the others."

"Okay, remind me not to do that when we see them," Kairyn smirked. The pair then fell silent and before they'd realised it, they had both drifted off to sleep.

The morning sun rose over the crest of the mountainous walls of the canyon, spreading its dawning light wherever its rays could touch. Feeling the warming beams on his skin, Littlefoot stirred before delicately opening his eyes. His hazy vision melted into focus as he sat up and yawned. The night's rest had served him well as he stretched his rigid muscles back into working order. Turning to his left, he looked over to where Kairyn had settled but before he could greet him, he found Kairyn was missing.

"Huh? Kairyn?" he called glancing around the cave but he didn't reply.

"Kairyn? Where'd he go?" Littlefoot, having examined the cave top to bottom, then stepped outside and into the glaring morning sun.

"Kairyn? Kairyn!" Littlefoot hollered into the canyon. His voice shot off and bounced back at him but nothing else responded.

"Where did he go? Why would he go off on his own?" Littlefoot said to himself worryingly.

"Where'd who go?" a voice then said. Littlefoot snapped his head to the right.

"Kairyn!" he said alarmed.

"What's up?" Kairyn said as he came strolling up the path.

"N-nothing. I thought you were…"

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I…I couldn't sleep last night. Had a lot on my mind given what's happened to me recently," Kairyn said as he pulled up alongside Littlefoot, "I'm okay though."

"Where'd you go?" Littlefoot then asked relieved to see him.

"I wandered down the path a little bit further as the sun was rising, you know, just to clear my head a bit. I got around the corner and I saw the end of the pathway. There seems to be a forest just beyond its end. The path leads straight there; down the slope."

"Great. Looks like we're getting somewhere," Littlefoot beamed as he stepped past Kairyn, "shall we get going?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," Kairyn smiled back.

The two boys headed down the canyon path. Rounding the bend, they quickly found the forest Kairyn mentioned. With a joyful glance at each other, Littlefoot and Kairyn slid down the sloping path and headed into the woodland to continue their journey towards the Great Valley. However, they were blissfully unaware of what dangers lurked in the seemingly tranquil forest before them.


	17. A Reunion of a Strange Sort

Chapter 16: A Reunion of a Strange Sort

Having travelled almost an entire day high up on the canyon cliff path, Littlefoot and Kairyn were exceedingly glad to have progressed from the gaping chasm and into a forest. A warm, deciduous scent of the towering canopies wafted on a calm breeze as the oddly paired boys wandered between the massive tree trunks. Given the minimal yet constant threatening presence of the yawning pit that ran down the middle of the canyon, Littlefoot and Kairyn felt a strange sense of sanctuary under the shelter the trees provided as it shielded them from plain sight.

"Whoa!" Kairyn breathed astounded gazing up at the ancient oaks around him, "I've never seen trees like these before. They're huge!"

"Yeah. They're even taller than the ones between the Great Valley and Saurus Rock," Littlefoot agreed staring upwards.

"I wonder how a forest is able to grow like this in the middle of nowhere. The soil must be very fertile," Kairyn said aloud to himself. Then, all of a sudden, there came a terrible grumbling noise within close proximity. Kairyn snapped his head over to Littlefoot.

"Wh-what was that?" he asked worryingly.

"I…erm…" Littlefoot said shyly just before the low grumbling sound rang out again; this time louder.

"Littlefoot was…was that you? Was that your stomach?" Kairyn then asked eyeing the young longneck peculiarly.

"Err…umm…yeah," Littlefoot replied bashfully. Kairyn laughed aloud as Littlefoot flashed an embarrassed smirk.

"Your gut sounds like a beast of its own," Kairyn giggled.

"It's the smell of all this green food; it's making me hungry," Littlefoot grinned.

"'Green food?' Oh right, you're a herbivorous dinosaur type arent'cha," Kairyn realised but then saw the perplexed look return to Littlefoot's face again, "I mean…a herbivore…leaf-eater. You eat plants material right?" Littlefoot nodded in response.

"Yeah I do," Littlefoot said before looking up at the canopies a little crestfallen, "but all that green food is far too high. There's no way I can reach it."

Kairyn wandered over to the nearest tree. Resting a hand on the rough bark, he glanced vertically up the trunk.

"Hmm…the first lot of branches are still too high up to reach from the ground," he said taking a leaping snatch at the lowest limb but failed to grasp it,

"No good," Kairyn tutted in annoyance. Littlefoot's stomach growled and gurgled again as he gazed up at the dancing leaves above him. Their fanning wave almost seemed to be beckoning him up to sample the leaves but he could never scale such a large tree.

"Ugh…if only Petrie were here…" he sighed.

"Petrie?" Kairyn hummed backing away from the towering hardwood.

"Yeah, he's one of my friends," Littlefoot explained still gazing skywards, "if he were here, he'd just fly up there and drop some green food down for us."

"He'd…fly? He's a winged dinosaur?" Kairyn enquired.

"Yeah, Petrie's a flyer," Littlefoot said flatly before turning to face Kairyn, "you sound surprised."

"Oh no! I…well yeah, I guess. I am…a little surprised," Kairyn stammered scratching the back of his neck, "I just thought…well…I would have naturally assumed, being the species you are…they your friend would be…well…"

"A longneck like me?" Littlefoot finished suggestively.

"Erm…well…yeah," Kairyn replied sheepishly. The conversation was getting noticeably more awkward the more he spoke but Littlefoot's face softened into an understanding grin.

"Don't worry. I know what you mean," he assured allowing Kairyn to breathe a sigh of relief, "all my friends are different kinds but I was told something similar like that by my mother when I was younger. Though, I can't say I fully understand why. I mean, we're all leaf-eaters right? So, why should being a different type of dinosaur be a problem? Especially if we all eat green food."

Kairyn hummed and nodded, impressed by Littlefoot's method of thinking. The brief mention of green food made Littlefoot's stomach gurgle audibly again.

"Come on. Maybe if we walk on a little longer, we can find a smaller tree," Littlefoot suggested trying hard to ignore the gnawing of his gut.

"Sure," Kairyn agreed. That's when he felt his own stomach grumble and writhe. The talk of food had started to make him feel hungry too with the additional worry of what he could actually consume in this strange world.

Hurrying to catch up with Littlefoot, Kairyn pulled up alongside him. Determined to keep his mind off his own hunger, he tried to strike up another conversation.

"So…you mentioned your family. There're all in…the Great Valley is it?"

"Yep; my grandparents anyway."

"Any brothers or sisters?"

"Nope, just me. Well, there is Shorty; he's kinda like a brother but he travels about with my dad, Bron. He's the leader of another far-walking herd. I've met him once but that's all."

"You only met your dad once? Hmm, I guess I can relate to that sorta. My dad was kinda the same. We wouldn't see him for months at a time sometimes. Mum would get upset when he was away for so long…What about your mum? Does she travel around with your dad? Or is she back in the Great Valley?" Littlefoot didn't answer right away. He opened his mouth to speak but promptly shut it again and looked away. Kairyn glanced sideways at Littlefoot whose expression had fallen slightly.

"Littlefoot?" Kairyn asked, "are you alright?" Littlefoot finally mustered the courage to look back at Kairyn's face and flicked him a quick smile.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay…" he managed to force out.

"But?" Kairyn probed completely oblivious of the trap he had just baited himself for.

"Well…you see…" Littlefoot started.

Suddenly, there was a rustle in the tree canopies overhead.

"What was that?" Kairyn gasped, breaking the conversation and snapping his head upwards.

"What's what?" Littlefoot asked. He felt the tight knot of tension locked in his chest slowly loosen at the drop of the conversation but now he was concerned by what Kairyn might have spotted.

"I thought I saw something…in the trees," he warned, scanning the swaying thick of leaves high above them. Littlefoot looked up but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"I didn't hear anything. It could have been a trick of the wind," Littlefoot suggested. Kairyn seemed unconvinced but he lowered his eyes from the dancing leaves somewhat distrustfully.

"Seemed to be more than just a wind gust to disturb those trees that much," Kairyn mumbled stepped up to join Littlefoot again.

"I don't see anything up there," Littlefoot said taking one last gaze at the canopies.

"Granted, but that doesn't alter the fact that…something might be up there," Kairyn argued.

"It's probably just a flyer or something. You're worrying too much," Littlefoot told him as he faced forwards and continued on his way. Kairyn, still left a little troubled by the unproven shudder of the trees, followed suit. He couldn't explain it, but a chill ran through his bones at the unnerving thought that he and Littlefoot were being watched.

*

A rambled herd of various breeds of dinosaurs large and small had all gathered. They were at the Meeting Ground; through the great stone archway that led into a semi-circular, multi-levelled, rimmed bowl. A prehistoric auditorium shaped by the forces of nature. It was here where a number of Great Valley residents stood all chattering nervously to each other.

"It has only been two days since our Littlefoot disappeared yet it seems like so much longer," Grandma Longneck sighed heavy-heartedly.

"Yes, it has been hard to cope with him gone," Grandpa Longneck agreed dispirited.

"I feel for your loss Longnecks," Tria said empathetically, "but I am still shocked by those strange, two-legged creatures who took the poor boy."

"Poor boy? It is because of that 'poor boy' why Cera is missing!" Mr Threehorn bellowed trampling the ground irritably, "yet again it is because of Littlefoot and his hi-jinks that has led our kids out into the Mysterious Beyond!"

"Topsy! How can you blame poor Littlefoot! He was kidnapped by those strange creatures. He did not ask for this to happen," Tria snapped at him but it did little to curb the torrential flow of the mighty triceratops' angry rant.

"Ohhhh…don't get me started on those two-legged, no-tailed, good for nothing monsters! Those humans caused no end of trouble for our Valley when they first arrived and now, after such a peaceful time without them, they've come back to torment us all over again!"

"It was a time of great concern for the Valley whilst those humans were here, I agree," a tall saurolophus, Spike and Ducky's mother, said nodding solemnly.

"But not all the humans were bad. I cannot deny that there were some troubles while the humans were here; but had it not been for those few that helped defend the Great Valley, I believe we would not have overcome the ordeal," Grandpa Longneck said calmly.

"Yes. It was a situation beyond our comprehension and it is thanks to Jason and the other two humans, along with our own children, that the Great Valley was made safe again," Grandma Longneck added.

"That may be Longnecks, but what if this is the start of another human invasion and their intrusion causes more trouble for us," Mr Threehorn bellowed, "if that is the case, I, for one, would not be willing for those two-legged menaces to endanger our Valley for a second time! I just will not stand for it!"

"If these creatures really are as dangerous as Topsy says, then I sure wouldn't want them running around our home causing trouble," Tria joined in, a slight quiver of fear in her voice.

The banter between three groups of adults continued on until it was broken by the incoming descent from a blue-hued female, pteranodon, Petrie's mother.

"Any sign of the children?" Grandma Longneck asked with some hope but Petrie's mother shook her head sorrowfully.

"There's just no trace of them. We searched the whole Valley and the surrounding area. Saurus Rock, Threehorn Peak, the Smoking Mountains and all the canyons and trails in between. We couldn't find them anywhere," she reported through deep gasping breathes, "they could be even further out in the Mysterious Beyond by now."

"You have been searching all day. You should rest now," Grandma Longneck advised. Petrie's mother nodded before settling down in the corner next to Ducky and Spike's mother.

"Ohh…I wonder where they have gotten to this time," the saurolophus whined gazing out over the Great Valley's horizon.

"We mustn't lose hope. Our children have wandered off on their own before and they have always found their way back home. We should have faith in them that they will follow our wisdoms and that they will return home again," Grandma Longneck said optimistically. However, Mr Threehorn was quick to retort as he began pacing up and down again agitatedly.

"It's not a matter of faith or hope Longneck! It's a matter of luck," he argued, "our kids have been lucky to have made it back home every time. But good luck doesn't last forever. Eventually it will run out and we could lose our kids for good!"

A deathly silence fell in place after Mr Threehorn's stern words. All six dinosaurs glanced at each other, their expressions fraught with overwrought tension. Even the grumbling threehorn's mien softened as he thought about what he had just said.

"You may be right Mr Threehorn," Grandpa Longneck sighed, "but right now all we can do is trust in our children and hope that their experiences out in the Mysterious Beyond, which quite possibly outweighs our own experiences, will help guide them home." The ring of adults all nodded at one another. Though they didn't want to leave the situation to something as uncertain as fate, they were once again left powerless to prevent their children from disappearing. They all silently wished them well in the hope that they'd miraculously turn up home again.

*

Still wandering around aimlessly, heading deeper into the forest, Littlefoot and Kairyn continued their journey in the hope that they'd find a way to the Great Valley. Or in any case, a path that Littlefoot recognised but as of yet, he was still unfamiliar with the area. An hour or two had passed and they were still no closer to finding any means of exiting from the maze of gigantic, towering trees . Hunger had bored into their guts like a burrowing worm, making the journey a lot less pleasant but they trekked onwards trying to ignore the aggravating twisting pains in their bellies.

"Hey! Kairyn look!" Littlefoot gasped, his head popping up straight.

"What? What is it?" Kairyn asked in a daze. His mind was clearly not completely focused on his reality. Littlefoot's pace quickened as he trotted forwards; a gleeful smile stretched across his face.

"Look! Green food!" he exclaimed stopping next to a bush that sat between the tree trunks. Kairyn failed to share Littlefoot's joyous outburst as he watched Littlefoot launch his head into the bush, mouth pried open, and snatched a mass of leaves with a tug. Kairyn slowly followed Littlefoot up as he chomped on his mouthful.

"Umm…Guu um-head," Littlefoot babbled in amongst chews as he gestured towards the bush. Kairyn coiled his head back a few inches somewhat disgusted.

"Are you kidding me?" he snorted.

"No, why would I be kidding?" Littlefoot said swallowing his mouthful before diving back in for another load.

"Littlefoot…I can't eat leaves off a bush!" Kairyn exclaimed flicking the nearest leaf with a finger.

"Why not?" Littlefoot questioned innocently.

"Coz I'm not a flippin' rabbit! I can't digest plants like this! I don't have…the right…mechanics for it." Littlefoot, having gulped down another pre-chewed lump, furrowed his brow at Kairyn. Then, something in his mind flashed back to how his friend, Jason, had managed to gain sustenance while he was living in the Great Valley with him.

"Hmm…humans can't eat green food like us…" he mumbled to himself. Then, the tenacious longneck spied something.

"Hey! How about some tree sweets?" he offered leaving his bush and heading for another. Kairyn followed Littlefoot curiously before shifting from his spot to join him.

"Tree sweets? Wh-what are they?" Kairyn asked as he stood opposite Littlefoot.

"Here, why not try these berries?" he said wiggling his front left foot at the brightly coloured berries dotted randomly around the shrub. Kairyn glanced at the vibrant berries testily.

"I don't know…what if they're poisonous?" he moaned.

"Poisonous? You mean if they'll make you sick?"

"Yeah. You're used to eating this kinda stuff. Your stomach can handle it. I'm a bit worried I might chuck up." Kairyn felt his gut clench at the thought but Littlefoot remained adamant.

"Well you've gotta eat something. Look, I'll try it first. How about that?" Kairyn's lip quivered. He just wasn't convinced but Littlefoot was right. He had to eat or risk starving himself to the point of exhaustion and given the unforgiving nature of this prehistoric world, a lack of energy when required most, could prove fatal. Still determined to prove his point, Littlefoot plucked a few berries off and into his mouth where he bit down on them. Kairyn flicked the splattered juice that erupted from the berries off his jacket and watched Littlefoot chomp on them with yapping chews.

"How are they? They look rancid," Kairyn said cringing at the almost fluorescent ooze the berries seemed to release.

"They're not bad actually," Littlefoot hummed pleasantly as he gulped it down, "they're kinda sharp at first but they go really sweet soon after." Kairyn still wasn't overly impressive despite spectating on Littlefoot's entire ingestion demonstration. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his Minicom and started tapping away at it. Littlefoot, helping himself to more, gazed peculiarly at Kairyn with bulging cheeks.

"What are you doing?" he asked but Kairyn didn't answer him. Clapping the Minicom shut, he pointed it vertically at a small collection of berries. A red gridded beam of light rolled up and down the fruit before deactivating and blipping. Kairyn popped the device open again and read the screen intently.

"What are you looking at?" Littlefoot asked wandering over to stand behind Kairyn. He peeked his head over his left shoulder to get a glimpse of what Kairyn could see.

"I'm analysing the chemical makeup of these berries. The bio-scanner can identify toxic or lethal compounds and…" Littlefoot's face drew blank again.

"It will see if the berries are harmful or not," Kairyn simplified. Littlefoot smiled and nodded which, in turn, brought a smile of similar size to Kairyn's face. The Minicom beeped, grabbing the boys' attention.

"Hazardous compound analysis complete. Toxicity levels declared as…negative," the Minicom droned.

"What's that mean Kairyn?" Littlefoot asked as Kairyn clipped the Minicom shut and replaced it in his pocket.

"Well, my Com says it won't kill me if I eat it but…" Kairyn, with a shaky hand, cautiously picked up a small bundle of berries between his thumb and first finger. Dangling it in front of his nose, he took another glance over to Littlefoot whose wide bright eyes spoke loudly enough before he even opened his mouth.

"Go on. Give them a try…"

Sighing, Kairyn drew a deep breath and held it. Then, with his eyes clamped shut, he dropped the berries in his mouth. Biting down, he felt the warm, juicy liquid spill over his tongue. The flavour was sharp; instantly exciting Kairyn's taste buds. It then quickly mellowed out into a sweet nectar that he swallowed without hesitation.

"Wow! They WERE good!" Kairyn beamed. He promptly snatched bulging handfuls from the bush and began scoffing them so fast he almost forgot to breathe again.

"There ya go! I knew you'd like them," Littlefoot smiled stepping forwards to join in.

The boys stuffed themselves to the point of bursting as they feasted on the berry bushes around them. Having almost doubled their weight, they sat down to allow their meal to settle.

"Boy was I hungry," Littlefoot said stretching his legs out to the side.

"Me too. I never would have thought fruit would be so filling," Kairyn agreed massaging his bloating belly, "just one more surprise this place has to offer."

Littlefoot sniggered before pushing himself up to standing. "We should get going," he said turning back to the path through the forest.

"Sure thing," Kairyn agreed as he hopped to his feet, "any idea if we're getting any closer to your home?"

Littlefoot shook his head, "I still can't say for sure. I don't recognise this forest but…"

Suddenly, the boys cringed at the horrible sound of a panicked scream.

"Who or what was that?" Kairyn said standing fully upright again.

"I dunno. But I don't like the sound of it," Littlefoot replied, nervously scanning the bushes and tree trunks for any movement, "it sounded like someone in trouble."

"Or maybe trouble is coming this way. We better get out of here," Kairyn said taking a hasty step towards the pathway. As he passed the bush he and Littlefoot had been eating from, Kairyn paused as the frightful scream rang out again. This time a lot closer. Kairyn snapped his head to the right when he noticed the bushes rustling. Before he could react, something burst out from the shrubbery at perfect head height and hit Kairyn square on. Stunned by the blow, Kairyn then felt the attacking object clamp onto his face, covering his nose and mouth. Panic stricken, Kairyn staggered backwards and toppled over. The object hugging Kairyn's face muffled his terrified screams as he tussled and wrestled with it, trying to pry it off. It was suffocating him.

"Kairyn!" Littlefoot yelled as he watched Kairyn rolling and kicking frantically on the ground.

"What the h-umm! Uff…umm! Get it off me! Umm…" he stifled trying to pull the fitted mask off. Still fighting to free his face, Kairyn felt the object's grip weaken and with a mighty tug, he tore it off his face and threw it to one side.

Gasping for air, Kairyn scrambled across the floor on his rear end and sat panting at Littlefoot's ankles.

"Wh…Wh-what the hell was that?!" Kairyn stammered breathlessly, pointing at the flattened brown object lying by the bush it had sprung from. Littlefoot didn't answer straight away but, as he helped Kairyn to his feet, the object made a painful groan and started to twitch.

"It's…it's alive!" Kairyn stuttered. They both took an anxious step forwards but instantly froze in their tracks when part of the strange object levitated off the ground under its own power. That's when Littlefoot let out a gasp.

"What's wrong?" Kairyn asked primed to run on any given command. Littlefoot, however, seemed entranced all of a sudden.

"Petrie?" he whispered in awe.

"Wha? Petrie?!" Kairyn stammered staring at the back of Littlefoot's head. Littlefoot was stepping cautiously towards the fallen creature, blanking out Kairyn.

"Petrie? Is that you?" he asked again.

"Ungh…oof…that me worse landing for a long time," it replied groggily. Littlefoot felt his spirits soar on hearing the voice.

"I don't believe it! Petrie, it IS you!" he exclaimed overjoyed.

"Littlefoot? Littlefoot! You here!" the little flyer squeaked ecstatically pushing himself up from the dirt. In a leaping bound, Petrie jumped up and clung lovingly to Littlefoot's right cheek.

"Oh, me miss you Littlefoot. Me thought me never see you again."

"Thanks Petrie but I'm okay," Littlefoot giggled. Petrie's burrowing beak into his face was tickling him. Petrie pulled his face away from Littlefoot's smiling warmly. Then, his gaze focused beyond Littlefoot and his expression grimaced.

"Argh! Littlefoot, look out! A human! Human over there! Quick, run!" he squawked taking to the air.

"No, no! It's alright Petrie. He's okay, he helped me," Littlefoot explained trying to calm the hysterical pteranodon down. Kairyn was stood away from the pair of dinosaurs a little bewildered by their interactivity and now alarmed by Petrie's outcries of his presence.

"He…no dangerous?" Petrie asked hovering in front of Littlefoot's face. He glanced sideways at Kairyn who seemed too nervous to come any closer.

"He's fine Petrie. He's been travelling with me; he's helping me get back home. He's already saved me a few times," Littlefoot announced. He looked over at Kairyn who was now playing with his fingers nervously.

"Hmm…me no know but…if Littlefoot say so," Petrie said at last.

With the air still a little tense, Kairyn joined Littlefoot and Petrie over by the bare bush.

"Petrie, this is Kairyn. Kairyn, this is one of my best friends, Petrie," Littlefoot said bowing his head between the two of them.

"Err…hi," Kairyn said weakly, raising a hand and wiggling his fingers limply.

"Hi Kairyn. Me sorry me hit you. Me could no see where me going," Petrie apologised. Then, he squinted as he looked into Kairyn's face.

"Wh-what?" Kairyn babbled feeling the heat of Petrie's furrowed stare.

"You look like someone me think me know but…me no can think who," Petrie said rubbing his chin with a thin, stickly finger.

"Really?" Kairyn said flashing a nervous smile. Littlefoot bowed his head next to Petrie and whispered something to him. Kairyn couldn't make out what he was saying but he did notice the mischievous grin on his face whilst mumbling to the little flyer. Petrie gazed up at Kairyn again once Littlefoot had finished and his expression instantly lit up.

"Oh yeah! He do look like him!" Petrie beamed. Suddenly, all Petrie's previous inhibitions towards Kairyn lifted as if by exorcism. Kairyn stood bemused.

"What did he say?"

"Littlefoot say you look like our human friend Jason; and you do!"

Kairyn grinned bashfully and itched his head, "I don't know who this Jason guy is, but it sounds like it's working in my favour." The three boys laughed aloud before Littlefoot turned to his flying companion.

"So, where did you come from anyway Petrie?" he asked.

"We all leave the Great Valley to come find you after mean humans come take you away," Petrie said as he took off from the ground to land softly atop Littlefoot's head.

"You came to look for me? All of you?!" Littlefoot yelped in awe.

"Yeah. Me, Cera, Ducky and Spike went into Mysterious Beyond to try and find you. We travel long and far but we no see you anywhere!"

"Everyone came looking for me? Well, where are the other now?" Littlefoot asked but Petrie's tone of voice dropped.

"Me no know. We get split up at White Mountains after big white sparkle storm. Cera and Spike get lost up there but me and Ducky manage to get into forest and…" Petrie then let out a horrified gasp.

"Oh no! Ducky! Me fly off and leave her behind! We gotta help her! She in trouble!"

"Ducky's in trouble?!" Littlefoot cried. A strong energy surge pulsed through him on hearing that another of his friends might be in danger.

"What kind of trouble?" Kairyn muttered a little fearful of the situation they might be stepping into.

"We get chased by fast-biters. Me and Ducky get separated! We gotta find her!" Petrie wailed. A feeling of guilt began to sink in at the thought of him taking off and leaving Ducky behind.

"But where could she be? This forest is huge," Kairyn asked pre-emptively scanning between the tree trunks.

"Me last see Ducky over there," Petrie reported pointing back over the bush he had come through.

"Then let's look there," Littlefoot said taking charge, "Petrie; you lead the way." Nodding sharply, Petrie took off from this perch on Littlefoot and headed back in the direction he'd approached from with Littlefoot and Kairyn in pursuit.

Tearing through the dense undergrowth, Kairyn did his best to keep up with Littlefoot and Petrie. All the while, he could feel the cogs in his brain turning over at the interactive behaviour of Littlefoot and his seemingly ill-fitted friendship with a dinosaur unlike his own. He didn't see anything wrong with the bond they shared but it did seem odd to have two different breeds act so warmly towards each other. Logic would suggest that 'birds of a feather would flock together' yet Littlefoot and Petrie clearly shattered this logic. Still lost in his thoughts, Kairyn failed to concentrate fully on his environment. A branch from a bush he was pawing through snapped back and slapped him in the face. Blinded, Kairyn staggered with the blow. Attempting to keep his balance, Kairyn's foot snarled on something dug into the ground in his stumble and he fell forwards, through the bush and into a clearing, landing on his front. Kairyn pushed his face up out of the dust and rubbed his head gingerly. Getting to his feet, he looked around the roughly circular clearing; its circumference entirely bordered by more shrubbery.

"Oh great...separated from Littlefoot and Petrie," Kairyn grumbled as he examined the area around him.

"HEEEY! LITTLEFOOT! PETRIE!" he hollered into the forest but no one replied.

"Great…that's just bloody perfect," he scowled kicking at the loose twigs and branches he had snapped off the bush in his tumble.

Suddenly, Kairyn picked up on something. He couldn't tell what it had made him suddenly wary, but he could sense something coming. The hairs on the back of his neck stood tall as he scanned the area. That foreboding sensation of someone watching him had returned like a premonition that something was about to happen. Then, all of a sudden, the bushes to his immediate left rustled and shook. Kairyn whipped his head over to the source of the noise. He could feel the blood throbbing at his temples as the shuffling got closer. Stood primed with fearful anticipation to encounter whatever was about to leap forth from the surrounding foliage, Kairyn gasped as a small creature erupted from the leaves and sprinted into the copse. Kairyn didn't believe his eyes at first but a quick blink to refocus his vision helped him grasp what he's just seen. A little green, bipedal dinosaur was running into the clearing, its eyes glancing back the way it had come from. It was heading right for him.

"Hey, look out!" Kairyn warned but it was too late. Despite trying to dodge the little dinosaur, it charged blindly straight into Kairyn's leg and fell to the floor backwards, taking Kairyn out in the process.

Now grounded, Kairyn massaged his smarting kneecap and looked down at his second accidental attacker. A few feet from him was a little green dinosaur who appeared to sound female by the squeaky huffs it took as it breathed heavily.

"Oh…a saurolophus," Kairyn said aloud to himself but the dinosaur heard him too as it took a glance at him and began quivering in fear from its seated position.

"Are you alright?" Kairyn asked standing up again.

"P-please…do not hurt me…" the saurolophus begged, still breathless.

"Don't be scared. I'm not going to hurt you," Kairyn assured as he knelt down beside the downed dinosaur, "would you happen to be Ducky? A friend of Littlefoot's?" The dinosaur's shivers instantly stopped on hearing Kairyn's question and it looked deep into his eyes now perplexed.

"Y-yes. My name is Ducky, yep, yep, yep. But…how do you know Littlefoot?" she asked as Kairyn offered her a hand up. Her voice no longer trembling.

"I'm a…new friend of his. I'm Kairyn."

"But…you are a human…"

"Yeah. I've been travelling with Littlefoot; trying to help him get home. We ran into your friend Petrie in this forest and he said you were in trouble. We came to look for you."

"Littlefoot is really here? That is wonderful, it is, it is."

Kairyn paused and held the back of his head, "Well, he is here, but I kinda got separated from him and Petrie in the bushes."

"You finded Petrie too? I am glad, I am," Ducky sighed in relief.

"Yeah, we should try and find then so we…"

All of a sudden, a low, guttering roar emanated over the clearing. Kairyn and Ducky shrunk up together as the sound echoed around them.

"I don't like the sound of that," Kairyn muttered eyeing the bushes warily.

"It is the fast-biters! They were chasing me and Petrie, they were!" Ducky whimpered pushing herself back into Kairyn's legs.

"Okay, that's a new one on me…what're fast-biters exactly?"

Suddenly, from around the same area Ducky had emerged from, another dinosaur leapt into the clearing. It landed heavily and uttered a chilling roar that stole their attention instantaneously.

"Oh boy…I had to ask," Kairyn mumbled. Stood a few yards away was a different kind of dinosaur Kairyn had yet to encounter but he could tell it was not friendly. It stood a good foot or two taller than Kairyn but it was much smaller than the T-Rex he had escaped from back in the canyon. Its arms bore flesh-tearing claws and its mouth housed bone-stripping teeth that the creature was not afraid to show off. Upon its feet, each one proudly presented a large arching claw that belittled the remaining few. Its physique was built for speed and its weapons were primed for immediate use. A Deinonychus. Kairyn's mind drained blank as he and Ducky stood facing off the carnivorous beast. It rolled its tongue around its jagged lips as it began to creep forwards.

"It is coming!" Ducky wailed in panic.

"Quick, run for it!" Kairyn then said shoving Ducky in the opposite direction but this was exactly the response the Deinonychus wanted. It kicked off with astounding acceleration and was on them in seconds. With its target's back to it, the beast leapt into the air and pounced on Kairyn. Feeling its entire weight on his back, Kairyn buckled with the attack and hit the ground.

"Kairyn!" Ducky cried seeing his knees bow and watched him fall to the floor. Rolling over, Kairyn screamed as he saw the fast-biter's snout mere inches from his own nose, puffing a blast of hot breath in his face. Scrambling backwards, Kairyn fumbled at the floor to try and escape but he couldn't stand up with the beast over him. Kairyn's eyes widened with fear as the fast-biter coiled its neck back to strike at him. At this range it would be nearly impossible to evade such a quick deathblow; especially from a creature so skilled at hunting. Still fumbling with the dirt, Kairyn then felt his fingers brush over something. Without a second thought, Kairyn grasped the object in his left hand and swung it wildly at the beast's head just as it was about to strike. The loose, leafy branch whipped around catching the beast in the right side of its face. The carnivore yelped in pain as the leaves and stray branches jabbed it in the eye, blinding it momentarily. With his captor subdued, Kairyn rolled his feet back into his chest and, with a violent kick, he planted his feet hard into the fast-biter's abdomen. The force of the kick lifted the beast off the ground slightly, allowing it to topple backwards which, in turn, permitted Kairyn to scramble to his feet.

Branch still in hand, Kairyn hurried back to where Ducky was stood.

"Kairyn! Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah…I'm okay," Kairyn replied backing up. With his eyes trained on the floundering fast-biter, with his makeshift weapon at full arm's length, Kairyn and Ducky kept inching backwards towards the bordering hedges. Suddenly, a horrified cry echoed from somewhere in the forest.

"That sounded like Petrie!" Ducky exclaimed. Without warning, she turned tail and disappeared into the bush.

"Hey Ducky! Hey, wait!" Kairyn called after her but she was already heading for the sound of the scream. Kairyn huffed in frustration but quickly whirled around when he heard a threatening growl from the centre of the clearing. The fast-biter had righted itself and was glaring maliciously at him.

"Whoa! CRAP!" Kairyn yelled in a panic before dropping the branch, spinning around and diving into the bush. Already humiliated, the carnivorous dinosaur let out a deafening roar before shooting off after him.

Once again, Kairyn found himself clawing through the undergrowth trying to keep up with Ducky. Despite being small, she was surprisingly quick but Kairyn could just about trace her by the leaves that swayed as she made her way through the greenery. After a moment or two, Ducky emerged from the bushes and dashed out onto an open pathway.

"Hey Ducky! Wait up! Wait for me!" Kairyn beseeched. He was still clambering his way through the dense plants. Eventually he arrived at a path where he saw three figures stood rigid.

"Littlefoot! Petrie, Ducky!" Kairyn called to them but not one of them answered him. Pulling himself free from the shrub, Kairyn dashed over to their static positions. They seemed transfixed on something.

"Hey guys!" he yelled to them but they remained still, "you found each other? Great! Listen, we've gotta go! There's some blood thirsty killing machine back there waiting to feast on us and it's coming this way! We've gotta get out of here now!"

"Err…Kairyn?" Littlefoot mumbled, his jaw chattering and mouth aghast. It was only at this point blank range that Kairyn could see Littlefoot shivering violently.

"What? What's the matter?" he asked dumbly. Following Littlefoot's eyes, Kairyn turned to his right to face where the others were looking.

"WHOA!" Kairyn yelled jumping nearly a foot in the air. There, stood in front of them, blocking their path were two more carnivores of similar size and design as the one that Kairyn had booted in the gut previously.

"Damn…two more. They must be in the same pack," Kairyn breathed as a forewarning.

"They block us off!" Petrie croaked clutching the base of Littlefoot's neck.

"Come on! Back the other way!" Kairyn said urgently but as he turned, the pursuing Deinonychus jumped out from the bush and stood in the way.

"We are surrounded!" Ducky cried helplessly.

"And the trees are too close together. We're trapped!" Kairyn howled despairingly.

The four kids backed up against each other as the fast-biters skulked in. The situation looked bleak with no escape route and hardly any room for manoeuvre.

"Ohhh…what we do?!" Petrie flapped unable to bear the thought of what may happen. No one could answer him. The carnivores continued to advance and all they could do was watch them.

"It will take a miracle to get us out of this mess," Kairyn whined. Then, one came within pounding distance and leapt into the air. Kairyn yelled in fright which triggered the others to scream as well. A flash of its talons and it would all be over. Suddenly, there was a quick flicker of darkness as something from overhead blotted out the sunlight that crept through the treetops. The sound of dense fabric flapping in the air burst out over the four of them. It happened far too swiftly for any of them to see but the airborne fast-biter was send reeling back the way it came and crash landed on its back. Stunned by the inexplicable aerial counter, the group of four turned to see a strange figure, stood upright like a human, draped from head to toe in black.

"Who is that?" Littlefoot asked in wonder.

"It's…It's..The Black Ghost!" Kairyn gaped awestruck.

"The who?" Ducky and Petrie asked in unison.

"The Black Ghost. A mysterious man who…" Kairyn started.

"You can save the pointless stories until after we've dealt with the situation at hand," the Black Ghost said bluntly. Kairyn and the young dinosaurs all stood amazed by the cloaked figure's sudden appearance.

"C'mon! Quit gawking and ready yourselves!" the Black Ghost ordered flicking around to look at the gobsmacked group. He then locked eyes with something, "Look out!"

The group turned to look behind them to see the two other fast-biters making their move. Ducky let out a scream which prompted the Black Ghost to take defensive action. Dashing passed the firmly rooted group, he mumbled inaudible words before thrusting his right hand up and towards the two assaulting dinosaurs. The group watched as the view around them rippled and distorted. They felt a strong gust of wind pull from behind and towards the attacking carnivores. As if they had hit an invisible wall, they bounced backwards and fell over.

"Quick! Go now! Run for it!" the Black Ghost shouted signalling past the downed and tangled fast-biters. Without wasting another second, they all kicked off and headed to where the fast-biters had fallen. Sidestepping their clumsy swipes, the five of them sprinted by and down the forest path.

"Where we go?" Petrie puffed flying just over Littlefoot's head.

"Anywhere away from here's a good bet," Kairyn said trying his best to keep up.

"Oh no! One of the fast-biters is coming this way!" Ducky wailed from her seat on Littlefoot's back. They all glanced back over their shoulders to find that Ducky was right. Bounding behind them was one of the Deinonychuses and it was catching up fast.

"Jeez that was quick!" Kairyn gawked. The Black Ghost suddenly slid to a stop and turned back to face the pursuing dinosaur which was still in full stride, heading for them.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy?!" Kairyn barked skidding to a stop himself which prompted the others to also stop. The Black Ghost didn't answer. Instead, he stood firmly blocking the rampaging carnivore's path between it and the other four. Once in range, the fast-biter took a high leap to pounce on its reckless victim. Just as the blow was about to rain down on its target, the Black Ghost reached inside his flowing coat and drew a sword out and across his face; ducking with the slash. The sword caught the descending dinosaur and scored a bloody cut up and across it belly. The beast squealed in pain as if flew over the Black Ghost's head and crashed to the ground between Kairyn and Littlefoot and his friends.

A thin trickle of blood seeped from the wounded creature as it squirmed and writhed on the floor in discomfort. Flicking his blade clean, the Black Ghost sheathed his weapon and walked calmly back to the group.

"We best keep moving. I'm sure his friends are probably close behind," he said flatly.

"What did you do to it?" Littlefoot asked a little disturbed at seeing the grounded sharptooth in pain.

"It's merely injured. The wound isn't deep; it will survive," the Black Ghost said. His tone was devoid of all emotion as he strutted passed the huddled group, "Well, are we all going to admire that pathetic little dance the beast is doing or shall we find somewhere a little safer."

The three dinosaurs all glanced at each other and shrugged before following the Black Ghost. Everyone, that is, except Kairyn who stood cemented to his spot.

"Kairyn, c'mon, let's go," Littlefoot beckoned to him. Kairyn grunted indignantly. His vision was permanently fixed on the Black Ghost as a hot angry flush coursed through him. Finally able to command his body to move, he took a resistant step forwards; his fist clenched and squeezed tight all the while.


	18. A Violent Interlude

Chapter 17: A Violent Interlude 

The forest was eerily quiet since their encounter with the Deinonychus trio. Having survived the surprise attack from the pack of fast-biters, thanks to a miraculous appearance of the enigmatic Black Ghost, Kairyn and Littlefoot, along with his two reunited friends Petrie and Ducky, continued through the brightly lit forest. They were all on edge, fearing another surprise assault could happen at any time as they trekked, side by side, huddled close together and away from the bordering bushes that connected the bulky trunks of the ancient hardwoods.

"Who is that guy?" Littlefoot whispered to Kairyn glancing sideways at the cloaked figure who strolled silently yet confidently a few yards ahead of everyone else.

"Remember what I told you back there? That's the Black Ghost," Kairyn mumbled back lowly; his voice gritted with revulsion, "no one knows his real identity but he has been in the news back in my time for illegal activities."

Littlefoot glanced at Ducky and Petrie, who were riding on his back, blankly. Sharing his confused expression, Petrie then spoke up, asking the question they all wanted to ask.

"Me no get it. What you mean by 'illegal activities'? What he do?"

"There were stories and reports on how he'd break into government and military buildings and compounds all over the place. No one knew why but he'd break in, raid these complexes and stole things from them," Kairyn explained coarsely. The three dinosaur kids drew sharp breathes despite not fully understanding Kairyn's speech.

"He would steal things?! Like an egg-stealer?" Ducky gasped astounded.

"Apparently so, but lately he's done a lot worse than just nicking a few governmental items," Kairyn continued whispering darkly.

"He do worser things?!" Petrie asked. He was beginning to quiver slightly.

"Yeah, so the rumours say…" Kairyn edged on. Littlefoot, Ducky and Petrie leaned in closer but they all jumped when a voice outside of their little huddle spoke to them.

"Really? And what else do these outlandish fabrications express about my late activities?" They all stopped in their tracks and all eyes looked up and forwards to the Black Ghost who was stood a mere few feet from the gossiping ring. They all stared into the dark hole in his hood sheepishly. Even in the gleaming sun, no light seemed able to penetrate the void where his face should be. Without a pair of eyes to make contact with, it made it almost impossible to figure out who exactly his vision was fixed on.

"Well? Do continue. I'm eager to know how far my reputation appears to exceed my actual presence," the Black Ghost drooled in a sarcastically dry tone. Littlefoot, with Ducky and Petrie atop him, strafed a few paces sideways from Kairyn clearly feeing awkward that the Black Ghost had overheard their conversation about him. Kairyn, on the other hand, stepped up to the challenge as a hot flush coursed through him.

"Well, Mr Mystery Man. Recent 'fabrications' as you call them have reported that you actively attack your targets aggressively and without restraint. Your targets for thievery cause pain, misery and physically injury to anyone in your path," Kairyn barked accusingly. He was sarcastic at first but it filtered out as he ranted on, "you're classed as a fugitive from the law on a national scale after your penultimate raid of Morland Labs where a scientist was reported dead by police in Essex. Dead…by your hand!"

Littlefoot, Petrie and Ducky all gasped in horror at Kairyn's words.

"He…killed someone?" Littlefoot breathed in shock glancing at his two riders. They too were alarmed to hear such a damning condemnation. They continued to listen in, craning their necks between the two humans as they shot combating speeches at one another.

"You seem relatively well informed kid. It's hard to avoid the Big Brother state the media has on our world nowadays. That being said, I hate to break your little fantasy of me as some sort of comic-book supervillian but I didn't kill that scientist," the Black Ghost replied tonelessly.

"I'm entitled not to believe a damn word you say…" Kairyn said hotly.

"You can believe what you want," the Black Ghost interjected.

"And I'll stick to that thanks. Either way, a man was found dead at Morland Labs as a result of your break-in," Kairyn continued to probe.

"True as that stands, it doesn't mean that I personally killed him," the Black Ghost replied flatly.

"Well who did kill him then?" Kairyn then asked in the hope it would force a confession.

"Would you believe me if I told you?" the Black Ghost sighed pitifully.

"Try me!" Kairyn snapped.

"You can no more see sense than your brontosaurus friend over there can fly," the Black Ghost said shaking his head as he pointed at Littlefoot, "so my point to you is…is there one at all?"

Kairyn felt his temper bubbling. The Black Ghost was deliberately dodging his questions and it was starting to aggravate him.

"You killed that man and I know it. It's perfectly within your capabilities and evil nature to claim the life of an innocent," Kairyn spat, his anger starting to surface.

"And why, pray tell, would you think that?" the Black Ghost said emotionlessly. Unable to contain it any longer, Kairyn threw out an accusing finger straight at the Black Ghost before erupting,

"Because…you killed my father!!" he bellowed. Littlefoot, Petrie and Ducky all gasped again but this time, they truly were horrified. Littlefoot back-pedalled towards Kairyn who stood panting slightly as the words burst out of his mouth.

"Him?! He's the one who…"

"That's right Littlefoot! This is the cold-blooded scumbag that murdered my dad!"

"You…you kill Kairyn's dad?!" Petrie gawked now clung fretfully to the base of Littlefoot's neck.

"Your father?" the Black Ghost hummed somewhat indifferent despite the stabbing statement.

"Yes! Professor Stephen Taylor…my father…you killed him!" Kairyn yelled, his voice started to crack.

"Stephen Taylor…" the Black Ghost hummed again.

"Yeah, remember the name?! The name of the man you murdered! I hope it burns away at you forever for what you did to him!"

"Stephen Taylor…so you must be Kairyn; his youngest son…"

"That's right! I should break your neck for harming my dad!"

"Look Kairyn. I've said for you to believe what you wish; but you've got this all wrong. This one fact you must believe…I did not kill your father…"

"LIAR!! You dirty, filthy BASTARD of a LIAR!" Kairyn screamed in rage, "I saw you! There is no denying it! You were there stood over my father, sword drawn, blood stained from my father's wounds. You stood there and watched him die!"

"Whatever you think you saw Kairyn; you're wrong. I didn't kill Professor Stephen Taylor but there was nothing that could have been done for him…"

"LIES! All lies! All of it! You're a murderer!" Kairyn continued to scream hysterically. Tears began to form in his eyes as mental flashes of that nightmarish evening flickered before his mind's eye, "you're the sole person responsible for the death of one of the country's greatest minds!"

"He may have been a great mind Kairyn, but your father and his fellow scientists were fools. They were meddling in affairs that had dire consequences and they were completely oblivious to it. Something had to be done. As painful as it is to hear…they almost deserved what they had coming…"

Suddenly, something in Kairyn's mind snapped. Those last words instantly filled him with an uncontrollable sense of fury as he clenched his fists and drew them inwards.

"You…you…son of a BITCH!!" Without a second thought, Kairyn kicked off and dashed straight for the Black Ghost. Littlefoot, Petrie and Ducky could only watch in awe as Kairyn sprinted right for the cloaked figure who remained rooted to his spot. As he got within striking distance, Kairyn threw his right fist out, aimed for the Black Ghost's covered head. The speed was impressive but the Black Ghost simply craned his head back to allow the punch to pass harmlessly in front of his hood. Flames of rage continued to fuel his angry assault as Kairyn followed up with a left hooking swing. The Black Ghost ducked the attack and spun a full three-sixty degrees underneath Kairyn's punch before returning to standing. Quick to react, Kairyn threw his right hand out again to catch the Black Ghost on his rise. To his alarm, he felt something clamp down on his fist. The Black Ghost caught his swinging arm and stopped it short. Now in control, the Black Ghost swung his free right hand forwards and struck Kairyn flat on his exposed sternum with an open palm. Kairyn flinched with the strike to his chest which allowed the Black Ghost to manipulate him further. Still holding onto Kairyn's hand, the Black Ghost ducked under Kairyn's outstretched right arm and, with both hands, twisted his arm beyond the maximum point of rotation Kairyn's elbow would permit. The turning motion shot through Kairyn's body like a crashing wave forcing him to flip, head over heels, to crash land to the ground on his back. Once Kairyn hit the dusty floor, the Black Ghost released his arm allowing it to flop to the floor.

"Urgh..nyah…dirty git!" Kairyn spat gasping to reclaim the air that had escaped his lungs as he hit the floor. The Black Ghost didn't reply but merely looked down on him. Having recovered enough, Kairyn scrambled to his feet for another attack.

Another wild right swing came in that the Black Ghost blocked effortlessly, bouncing the punch back the way it came. Enraged that he couldn't land a single hit, Kairyn continued to throw more punches at any angle he could approach at. Through the flurry of attacks, the Black Ghost simply ducked, dodged, blocked and repelled all attempts Kairyn made. It was as if he was merely toying with Kairyn. Another left swing came in at head height. The Black Ghost brought his right arm up to meet it. On impact, the Black Ghost gripped Kairyn's arm and pulled him in closer. Kairyn, his stance off balance, stumbled forwards with the inward tug. Rolling around on Kairyn's left side, the Black Ghost brought his right shoulder to meet Kairyn's left shoulder and effectively pirouetted around Kairyn's stumbled position. Now behind him, the Black Ghost gave Kairyn's rear end a cheeky kick with the flat of his foot which forced him to land on his face in the dirt.

"Had enough yet?" the Black Ghost asked. However, his tone was not at all sarcastic.

"No way! You wish!" Kairyn snapped spitting the dry dirt out of his mouth.

"I'm not trying to hurt you Kairyn," the Black Ghost said offering him a hand up. Seeing this gesture as an insult, Kairyn batted the Black Ghost's hand away in disgust.

"A shame we don't feel the same way coz I'm gonna hurt you!" he yelled getting to his feet again.

"Kairyn no! Please stop!" Littlefoot beseeched. He couldn't stand seeing Kairyn being manipulated so easily by the Black Ghost. It was clear he was out of his depth challenging the cloaked mystery man to a fist fight.

"Stay out of this Littlefoot!" Kairyn barked angrily, "this waste of space needs to pay for what he did!"

"I'll say it again and I'll say it a thousand times more. I didn't kill your father Kairyn," the Black Ghost said as Kairyn marched up to him again.

"Save your crappy speeches! They mean less than nothing! They're all lies anyway!" Kairyn growled.

"Please Kairyn! You must stop before you get really hurted! Yep, yep, yep!" Ducky pleaded but Kairyn ignored her.

"You should listen to her Kairyn. I am fast becoming bored of this. You are far too blinded by rage to see any amount of truth," the Black Ghost said dangerously.

"Shove it!" Kairyn snapped glaring maliciously, "I'll never give up until you suffer for what you did to Dad!"

With another roar, Kairyn charged in for a third attack.

"I admire your courage kid, but…enough is enough," the Black Ghost said strongly as Kairyn ran at him. Dodging a left swing, the Black Ghost caught the following right hook but this time, he didn't act. Seeing this delay, Kairyn brought up his free left arm again, only to have the Black Ghost catch it as well. With both arms restrained, the Black Ghost swung his hooded head forwards, head butting Kairyn square in the forehead. Slightly blinded by the impact, Kairyn then felt the Black Ghost leap up, with his arms still in locks, and plant both of his feet directly in Kairyn's chest. Then, with a mighty kick, the Black Ghost pushed off Kairyn's chest, releasing his arms in the process, to launch himself into a high backwards somersault.

Kairyn was sent reeling with the forceful kick in the opposite direction. Unable to control his speed, Kairyn hit the ground hard and rolled backwards over and over until he came to a halt, face down, in the dirt at the feet of Littlefoot.

"Kairyn!" Littlefoot wailed bowing his head down to the fallen boy at his ankles.

"Kairyn! You okay?" Petrie cawed hopping down from his seat to land beside Kairyn.

"Ugh…dammit…" Kairyn cursed snivelling as he pushed his head up from the dusty floor trying not to look at anyone.

"Kairyn please, no more," Littlefoot begged offering to help him up but Kairyn ignored the gesture and rose to standing on his own.

"You are no match for him Kairyn. Please, do not fight anymore, no, no, no!" Ducky added. Kairyn grumbled irritably as he wiped the angry tears from his eyes. His rage still burned as brightly as ever but his body ached permitting him to comply with the requests. As much as he hated to admit it, the Black Ghost's combat skills far outweighed his instinctive methods for fighting.

"Bet you feel pretty big kicking my arse like that," Kairyn said bitterly.

"Not at all. If anything, I feel sorry for you," the Black Ghost said calmly, "a mind clouded by rage and anger obscures the view and perspective one needs in order to see clearly; let alone fight efficiently. Your courage was strong and admirable but your efforts were wild and uncontrolled. If you were to channel and fine tune those efforts, you could become a formidable opponent." Kairyn snorted indignantly, yet he felt somehow glad that the Black Ghost had complimented him.

"So now what? Where do we go from here?" Kairyn said grumpily, trying to get away from the subject of his defeat. His arms, chest and head still each throbbed a little. Littlefoot then turned to his friends.

"Petrie, Ducky. Where did you come from before you were separated from Cera and Spike?" he asked the tiny pair.

"We came here from the White Mountains on the other side of the forest, we did," Ducky announced.

"Yeah. We lose Cera and Spike in big white sparkle storm up there," Petrie developed before his tone dropped, "me hope they okay."

"Then that's where we'll head. With a bit of luck, maybe we'll find Cera and Spike along the way," Littlefoot said optimistically.

"Well then, let's get going," the Black Ghost said but Kairyn immediately jumped to argue.

"Oh no! There's no way in hell you're tagging along!" he barked shaking his head, "I don't trust you for a second and I'll be damned if I'll let you back stab us!"

"Again your arrogance fogs your senses. I've already explained to you I have no interest in causing any of you any harm. But, if you insist…"

The Black Ghost turned to walk away but Littlefoot called out to him.

"No wait!" he yelled. The Black Ghost stopped on his first step and turned back to face the group. To his surprise, Littlefoot had passed by the group and was walking cautiously up to him. Once he was a foot or two away, Littlefoot stopped and simply looked at him. The rest of the group were a little taken aback by Littlefoot's behaviour as they all exchanged puzzled expressions. The Black Ghost took a step back as Littlefoot edged his head forwards to look into his dark hood. Unable to stare him down, the Black Ghost grunted and turned his head away.

"Why do you hide your face?" Littlefoot asked innocently, recoiling his neck. The Black Ghost didn't answer. He seemed uneasy being visually examined by Littlefoot's wide curious eyes.

"I don't know much about you…but…there's something strange about you…" Littlefoot said airily.

"What do you mean Littlefoot?" Ducky asked since the Black Ghost refused to answer himself.

"I…I dunno. I can't quite say…just something strange but I can't place what?"

"The fact that he's a killer?" Kairyn butted in rudely, "this guy's not to be trusted Littlefoot."

"No…it's funny. I…kinda DO trust him?"

"WHAT?!" Kairyn, Ducky and Petrie all yelped in unison.

"You actually trust this trench coat draped freak?!" Kairyn said almost appalled.

"I dunno…sorta," Littlefoot replied shyly. The Black Ghost then turned his head slowly back to face the young longneck.

"You…you trust me? Why?"

"Like I said, I just don't know. Just, something about you…like a feeling but can't quite describe it," Littlefoot tried to develop, "you seem to be hiding something. I don't know what but, I believe you when you say you don't mean us harm."

"Littlefoot! This guy killed my dad! How can you say that?!" Kairyn cried sounding rather hurt.

"I'm sorry Kairyn. I can't help feeling the way I do…I just trust him. And, I'd like you to come with us Mr Black Ghost."

A stunned silence fell over the five of them at Littlefoot's request.

"Littlefoot you…you can't be serious! You want him to join us to your homeland?" Kairyn gawked finally, his mouth hung open.

"Why not? He's already saved us once from those fast-biters," Littlefoot said looking back at Kairyn before turning again to the Black Ghost, "whad'dya say Black Ghost? Will you travel with us?" The Black Ghost remained silent for a moment but he then nodded.

"As you wish. I will accompany you."

"Great. Thank you," Littlefoot said gratefully before turning back to the others who were still stood a little distance behind him, "come on guys. Let's try to find our way back to the Great Valley."

Simply hearing the name of their beloved home ground instantly sparked Petrie and Ducky off into hyperactive cheers.

"Yay! Let us go!" Ducky squeaked dashing over to Littlefoot.

"We go back to the White Mountains. Me think it this way," Petrie announced flying beyond the Black Ghost and Littlefoot.

"Okay Petrie. You lead the way," Littlefoot said with a warm smile. With that, Petrie headed off down the forest path as one by one they started to follow. As Littlefoot and Ducky passed the Black Ghost, the two humans stood staring at each other. Despite being unable to read the Black Ghost's expression, Kairyn's face was taut with anger as he stared loathsomely at the black draped man.

"Kairyn! Black Ghost! You coming?" Littlefoot called back to the static pair. Neither of them answered but Kairyn was the first to make a move. Drawing level to the Black Ghost's side, Kairyn glared even harder.

"I'm watching you," he snarled hatefully, "you may have Littlefoot and his friends convinced but you don't fool me." The Black Ghost failed to respond but simply threw his open hand out in a sweeping motion as if to grant Kairyn passage to rejoin Littlefoot and the others. Kairyn broke eye contact with the dark face the hood hid with a snappy head turn and marched after Littlefoot. The Black Ghost, stationary for a moment longer, turned also to bring up the rear. His thoughts faded back to what Littlefoot had said. He began to wonder what it was Littlefoot could sense in him that earned his trust even without him having to work for it.

"_That Littlefoot's a curious sort. Wonder what he sees in me. Still, I cannot arouse suspicion…I'll have to be more careful around him…" _he thought to himself as he wandered back to the group.


	19. Silent Callings

Chapter 18: Silent Callings

The group of five continued their wandering march through the luscious forest. Petrie led the way, ahead of Littlefoot and his passenger, Ducky who sat comfortably on his back. Kairyn strolled grumpily behind the tip of Littlefoot's swinging tail still feeling sore and bruised from his scuffle with the Black Ghost who brought up the rear. An awkward silence had befallen the bizarre collection of earthly creatures as they plodded their way between the trees hopeful to discover a way out. Kairyn, whose brow still pulsed irritably from being headbutted, was buried deep in his own thoughts. He sincerely disliked the idea of his father's killer walking hardly ten feet behind him but he also felt deeply stung by the way Littlefoot had personally requested the Black Ghost accompany them to find his homeland. To him, Littlefoot had made a grave and foolish mistake but he didn't want to have to say 'I told you so'. Somehow, he didn't think the Black Ghost would grant them enough time to even say that much before he'd pick them all off.

Burned by his own thoughts, Kairyn took a glance over his right shoulder. He glanced loathsomely at the cloaked figure whose gait was strong and confident. Turning to face ahead again, Kairyn found he'd drawn level with Littlefoot's hind quarters. With a few scurried steps, he caught up to the longneck's front end and broke the silence.

"You're making a mistake letting him tag along with us y'know Littlefoot," he mumbled close to Littlefoot's right ear. Littlefoot jumped at first but quickly calmed when he saw who'd pulled up alongside him.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Littlefoot said looking Kairyn dead in his eye. Kairyn hushed him before glancing backwards; Littlefoot mimicked his movement.

"The Black Ghost?" Littlefoot asked reverting his eyes back to Kairyn.

"Yep. I still reckon he's gonna double-cross us somewhere down the line. I just know it," Kairyn replied nodding.

"But why would he want to do that?" Ducky chirped in shuffling to the base of Littlefoot's neck to get in on the conversation.

"I dunno…but…I just got this feeling he's gonna screw us over," Kairyn muttered lowly, "he's hiding something…"

"But what does he want with us? We don't have anything he wants," Littlefoot argued.

"Maybe not now but, who knows. Why does he want to come to the Great Valley?" Kairyn probed.

"Maybe the same reason why you are coming to the Great Valley," Littlefoot said flatly, "do you know why you want to come with us to the Great Valley?" Kairyn opened his mouth but quickly shut it again. He couldn't answer him so he tried to refocus the conversation.

"Well, tell me this Littlefoot. You said you trust him. What makes him so trustworthy in your eyes?"

"Well…I…I don't know. I just do," Littlefoot murmured sheepishly.

"What about you Ducky? Do you trust him?" Kairyn then asked the little saurolophus.

"Hmm…I do not know. Maybe not much because I do not know him," she replied.

"So you don't trust him," Kairyn stated almost sounding pleased someone agreed with him.

"I may not trust the Black Ghost fully myself; but I do trust Littlefoot. So if Littlefoot trusts him, then I can trust him too."

Kairyn huffed in defeat. There was no combating statement to rival what she had just said yet his unnerving scepticism refused to allow the matter to rest.

"I can see why you don't like the Black Ghost Kairyn, and you have every right not to," Littlefoot said to him as his breathy sigh dissipated, "but…whatever I see in him, I CAN trust him and I think he can help us. I don't think he will hurt us."

"I don't know Littlefoot. It's just…my father was…" Kairyn sighed again, dropping his gaze.

"I know…" Littlefoot soothed trying to catch his fallen line of sight.

"But Ducky's right. I may not trust him but I trust you guys. I guess that should be enough," Kairyn then said finding Littlefoot's face again which was sporting a warm smile.

"Well, I guess he can't do any harm as long as we can see him," Kairyn added smiling back.

"But what if we can NOT see him?" Ducky asked.

"Then we'll just have to keep a close eye on him," Kairyn said with a snorting laugh.

"But we CANNOT keep a close eye on him. He is gone!" Ducky exclaimed.

"What?!" Littlefoot gasped whirling around. Just as Ducky had said, the Black Ghost had disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" Littlefoot asked astonished.

"How did he just disappear like that?" Ducky breathed awestruck.

"Hey!" another voice cawed from the way they were all previously facing, "me nearly go on without you. Why you all stop?"

"The Black Ghost bolted; he's gone," Kairyn said disgracefully.

"Where he go?" Petrie asked still hovering over the three ground-ridden travellers.

"We don't know," Littlefoot replied scanning the tree trunks.

"Do you think he heard-ed us talking about him?" Ducky then asked sounding a little guilty.

"Somehow I don't think the Black Ghost is the kinda guy who takes words to heart…if he has one that is," Kairyn muttered.

"But why would he leave?" Littlefoot asked sounding a bit hurt. He was still greatly intrigued about the Black Ghost and his enigmatic persona but he now felt his wondering thoughts would now never be answered.

"It doesn't matter; we're wasting time standing here. Let's press on; we can carry on without him," Kairyn said flatly turning around to continue the journey.

"Kairyn! We can't just leave him behind! What if he gets into trouble?" Littlefoot protested.

"This guy can sneak into buildings and areas teaming with hundreds of people and not be seen by a single one of them. Somehow I think he can take care of himself," Kairyn said blandly, "besides, he chose to leave the group so what does that say about his loyalty? If he wants to rejoin us I'm sure he could find us again if he really wanted to."

Littlefoot, Ducky and Petrie all glanced at each other. Despite exchanging looks of uncertainty, they agreed to carry on without the Black Ghost. With Petrie leading the way again, they wandered deeper into the forest. A warm spring breeze snaked its way through the thick trunks making the canopies overhead dance and sway. The gripping silence had fallen over them again but somehow, with a missing body from the group, it made the air a little more tense. Having travelled for a few minutes, Kairyn felt something in his gut twinge uncomfortably. It caught him by surprise forcing him to stop dead in his tracks.

"Something wrong?" Littlefoot asked Kairyn having nearly walked into the back of him.

"Not sure…I can't…" Kairyn started. The peculiar feeling suddenly intensified and it made him panic.

"Petrie, STOP!" he yelled suddenly. Petrie hit an aerial halt and swivelled around

"What wrong?" he asked a little startled by Kairyn's shout.

"Kairyn? What's the matter?" Littlefoot asked feeling slightly unnerved by his behaviour.

"There's something near…I can sense it…" Kairyn said slowly.

"Something near? Like…what?" Ducky asked eyeing her surroundings anxiously.

"Don't know but…" Kairyn said. Then, something called out to him mentally.

"Look up!" it screamed in his head. Doing as instructed, Kairyn snapped his head directly up at the swaying trees. As he did, he saw a blackened figure plunging down on them from above.

"Look out!" Kairyn warned jumping backwards. Unable to react as quickly, Littlefoot, Ducky and Petrie all shrieked in fright as something landed directly in between them all, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"What the?!" Littlefoot yelped clearly frightened half to death as he eyed the crouched figure who had yet to rise.

"Black Ghost?!" Kairyn gasped, "Where the hell have you been?" The Black Ghost didn't respond. Instead, from his crouched position, he carefully placed his right hand into his flowing coat and withdrew his sword. The others all looked at him warily.

"What are you…?" Kairyn asked but the Black Ghost hissed at him to be quiet.

"What the matter?" Petrie cooed lowly.

"Something's close by…and it's not friendly…" the Black Ghost warned.

Suddenly, that horrible twitch in Kairyn's gut flared up again.

"Yeah…he's right. Something's coming…something big…" he added. The three dinosaurs looked at each other uneasily.

"How do you know that?" Ducky asked fretfully.

"I can…feel it…a gut instinct that…" Kairyn started but he was interrupted by a tremulous shake that rumbled the ground.

"What was that?!" Littlefoot quivered.

"It's coming…brace yourselves!" the Black Ghost warned finally standing upright and adopting a defensive pose; his sword extended fully before him.

The thunderous tremors gained volume and magnitude the more they all waited. Suddenly, Kairyn's brain screamed another vivid instruction despite not knowing what was due to happen.

"Tree! Look out!" it yelled. Kairyn then looked over to the group's immediate right and saw a tree leaning towards them at a precarious angle.

"Guys! Watch out!" Kairyn shouted pointing just beyond the nearest row of bordering trees. Everyone turned to the direction Kairyn was signalling. A deafening cracking sound rang out as the tree came toppling towards them. Dashing in opposite directions, the group scattered as the towering hardwood came crashing down in between them.

"Whew! That was close!" Littlefoot breathed admiring the size of the tree they had just narrowly evaded.

"Everyone okay over there?" Kairyn's voice called from the other side of the fallen tree.

"We are all okay!" Ducky shouted back over as she, Littlefoot and Petrie recomposed themselves. Scrambling back over the toppled tree, Kairyn and the Black Ghost rejoined the dinosaur trio.

"What make tree fall over?" Petrie asked scratching his beak with a thin finger. Suddenly, a tremendous roar sounded over them all. Cringing from the ear-splitting power of the bellow, the group looked to where the tree had fallen from to find a monstrous dinosaur standing in its former position.

"I think he had something to do with it," the Black Ghost said raising his sword again.

"Oh no! A sharptooth!" Ducky yelped in fear as she watched the towering giant glare at all of them.

"I don't believe it! That's the same bloody T-Rex that was stalking us back in the canyon! How'd the hell he find us again?!" Kairyn babbled. The T-Rex pushed its huge body up against the trees bordering the pathway, blocking it from the horrified group. The ground cracked and the sound of thick roots snapping echoed.

"Look out!" Littlefoot warned as it finally barged the tree over with its great weight.

"Quick! This way!" the Black Ghost ordered flapping them towards him. The three dinosaur kids and Kairyn dashed further up the path to get out of harm's way. They quickly shuffled under the falling tree as it plummeted to the ground.

"Black Ghost! Look out!" Littlefoot cried as they all passed under the growing shadow. With barely enough time to escape being crushed, the Black Ghost threw his left hand up to the tree as it was almost upon him. The air around him warbled and distorted as an invisible blast struck the tree as it was about to fall on him. The huge trunk bounced up a foot or two before it continued its descent. With this tiny time extension, the Black Ghost leapt to his right and rolled out of the path of the toppling tree as it crashed to the ground.

"How the hell'd you do that?!" Kairyn gawked as the Black Ghost rose to standing again, "It was about to crush you!"

"Must you ask such pointless questions at the most inopportune moments? We've got bigger issues at hand right now," the Black Ghost scorned. His focus trained on the approaching T-Rex who was trying to push its way through the gap it had just made.

"We need to get away from here! We do, we do!" Ducky squeaked clinging tightly to Littlefoot's neck.

"We should run for it!" Littlefoot suggested backing up slowly as the growling sharptooth forced its massive head through its self made gap.

"Yes! Let's go!" Kairyn agreed making a heading for the clear path behind them.

"Fine, go," the Black Ghost said fanning them down the path, "use the tree trunks and bushes for cover but don't stray from the path."

Littlefoot was about to follow Kairyn and Petrie as they started down the sunlit path but froze and turned back to the Black Ghost when he noticed that he hadn't moved.

"Aren't you coming?" he asked worryingly.

"I'll distract him for a bit; buy you some time. Don't worry; I'll catch up with you. Go Littlefoot!" Despite feeling unhappy about leaving him behind, Littlefoot took one more glance at the bellowing beast as it popped its entire top half in between the barring trees. Nodding at the Black Ghost, he then turned tail to chase after Kairyn and Petrie.

Seeing Littlefoot disappear around the bend, the Black Ghost hummed curiously before turning back to his gigantic entity. The T-Rex had shoved its way through its barricade, buckling a few more trees in the process, and stood towering over the Black Ghost who remained on his spot with his sword drawn. The sharptooth let out another powerful roar as it ducked slightly and coiled back its head. The Black Ghost read the movement instantly and dug his heels a little deeper into the dirty ground. The beast launched its head forwards with its teeth bared to snatch its foolhardy target in a single bite. In response, the Black Ghost jumped and arched over backwards, flipping from feet to hands. The tip of his black boots passed an inch before the beast's snout; dodging the attack. Pushing from hands to feet again, the Black Ghost bounced a few hops back as the T-Rex reared its head upwards, spat out the clumps of dirt it had almost ingested and glared at its target again. The Black Ghost watched its body carefully for any signs of its next advance.

The head coiled back again but this time, the attack was low and forwards; parallel to the ground. The Black Ghost dove to one side to dodge the huge muzzle that lunged at him but he almost missed the follow up. To regain its balance, the T-Rex took a step forwards to counteract its lunge so it didn't fall flat on its face. The Black Ghost realised he was perched beneath the shadow of its lifted foot. Using the momentum from his dive, the Black Ghost pushed himself up from crouching into a cartwheel and spun to the side, out from under the crushing footstep that hit the ground with thunderous force. With barely any recovery time, the Black Ghost linked his cartwheel into a high, lofty back somersault as the beast's tail came sweeping low at him as it turned to try and relocate him.

Suspended upside down in his flight, the Black Ghost glanced at the floor and saw the huge appendage beneath him. Readying his sword, he aimed the blade vertically downward as gravity pulled his legs back down towards the earth. The hit scored and the blade plunged into the lower portion of the T-Rex's tail. The beast screeched in pain and reactively flicked its tail up in a flinch. Still attached to its flailing limb, the Black Ghost felt the sword slip loose from the inflicted wound and he was tossed up into the air. He flew up and over the beast's head but the sharptooth had caught sight of him as he passed before its cold eyes. With its head craned skywards, it opened its jaws ready to pluck the airborne man out of the air whilst he was in mid flight.

Quick to see the gaping pit that was the beast's open mouth below him, the Black Ghost forced another Wave Blast out from his left hand as quickly as he could. With no time to charge the energy blast, the attack was weak on impact but it did enough to push the sharptooth's face away slightly to prevent himself from being swallowed whole. The T-Rex was quick to recover and took another swift snap at its defiant prey as he descended in front of it. The Black Ghost felt a shockwave pulse through his body and out through the soles of his feet. A glowing glyph magically materialised under his feet allowing him to jump off it and flip, head over heels backwards and out of range of the flashing teeth. Finally out of biting distance, the Black Ghost hit the ground and tumbled backwards uncontrollably. Ducked down on his knees on the dusty path, he felt a tight burning sensation tear through every part of him.

"Urgh…ahh…dammit," he groaned in discomfort, "ugh…using too much…Shadow Art…too quickly…" The gripping pain paralysed him on the spot as he sat panting hard. Then, an irritated roar crashed down on his fallen position. The Black Ghost looked up as he pressed his hands to the sides of his head. The T-Rex was advancing on him but he was still too weakened to move too far.

"Ugh…damn…still drained…nyah…oh God!" the Black Ghost gasped trying to shuffle backwards. The pain was excruciating to move but it was the best he could muster. Seeing its prey finally vulnerable, the T-Rex coiled its head back to administer the final killing blow.

*

Meanwhile, Kairyn, Littlefoot, Ducky and Petrie were still charging headlong down the path keeping in the trees and bushes as best they could without losing sight of their heading.

"The Black Ghost is taking a very long time to follow us. He is, he is," Ducky said worryingly as she fought to remain atop Littlefoot as he forced his way through the foliage.

"I hope he's all right," Littlefoot said between puffing breaths.

"He'll be fine I'm sure," Kairyn replied dismissively as he hurdled a low lying log.

"Hey look! Me see end of forest!" Petrie then squawked aloud.

"Really? We're nearly out of this cursed wood?" Kairyn exclaimed ecstatically.

"Yeah! Follow Petrie! This way!" the little flyer said taking a hard banking turn to the left. Following his lead, Kairyn and Littlefoot darted to the left and burst out of their leafy cover. Still slightly blinded from emerging from the bushes so fast, Kairyn and Littlefoot then heard Petrie cry out.

"Ohh! Watch out! STOP!!" he shrilled.

As their obscured vision cleared, the two runners quickly dug their heels into the ground on Petrie's command. They were thankful they did as they found themselves mere inches from a sheared cliff edge and a deathly plummet down into a gaping gorge.

"Phew! That was close!" Kairyn breathed wiping his sweating brow with the back of his hand.

"Oh no! Our route is cut off!" Ducky whined pointing to the other side.

"What'll we do now?" Littlefoot asked still slightly breathless.

"Oh lookie there! Me see way across!" Petrie cawed.

"Where Petrie?" Littlefoot asked suddenly feeling re-energised.

"Over there. Small land path over canyon," Petrie announced pointing to the group's left side. All three of them glanced to where Petrie was signalling. Sure enough, a thin stripped path bridged the gap between the two sides permitted a route across.

"Are you kidding?! You want us to cross that?!" Kairyn gawked.

"It's the only way across and away from the sharptooth," Littlefoot bantered.

"Can't we look for another route that doesn't have a death ridden freefall under it?" Kairyn complained.

"Me can see White Mountains up ahead. This definitely the way!" Petrie said swooping down having taken a quick aerial scout of the area.

"I was afraid you were gonna say that…" Kairyn grimaced whilst flashing a weak smile.

"But what about the Black Ghost? Are we just going to leave him behind?" Ducky then asked.

"Well we can't just sit and wait for him. We'd be easy pickings if anything else came by and saw us," Kairyn said.

"So what we do?" Petrie cawed. Littlefoot was about to open his mouth to speak when he felt the floor shiver beneath the balls of his feet.

"Uh oh…did anyone else feel that?" he asked forewarningly. Kairyn shot him a panicked mien as another tremor rattled the ground quickly pursued by another.

"Oh no…don't tell me…" Kairyn said forebodingly. They all nervously turned back to face the path they had come from as the shakes grew stronger and louder. Just as they had feared, the very same T-Rex that had been stalking them before emerged from around the corner.

"Ahh crap…" Kairyn sighed as he watched the sharptooth's head crane in their direction.

"Oh no! The sharptooth has seen us!" Ducky squeaked in fright.

"_Where's the Black Ghost?_" Littlefoot's mind burned just as he locked eyes with the monstrous beast.

"Quick! Across the land path!" he barked. Kairyn chased after the longneck as he made a dash to the precariously narrow strip of rock that hung over the perilous chasm. All three of them peered nervously over the side and down into the gorge.

"Hurry! Sharptooth coming this way!" Petrie yelled.

"This is crazy!" Kairyn floundered backing up from the edge. His stomach flipped at the idea of willingly putting himself in such a dangerous situation, "I…I can't do this!"

"Kairyn! You have to! The sharptooth will get us if we stay here!" Littlefoot said seriously. The beast let out another roar as it trampled its way over to their frozen positions.

"Sharptooth getting closer!" Petrie warned. The three grounded kids gasped when they turned and realised just how close the stalking beast was.

"We have to go now!" Littlefoot yelled grabbing Kairyn's arm and yanking him towards the thin rocky bridge. Kairyn stumbled but dug his heels into the ground.

"Alright, alright!" he said pulling his arm free from Littlefoot's mouth. The thundering footfalls of the T-Rex were almost lifting them off the ground as it sped up its advance. Taking the lead, Littlefoot gingerly approached the bridge. With his tail hung low and his heart throbbing in his throat, he crept out over the chasm. Kairyn watched nervously as the young brontosaurus edged his way further along the narrow rocky strip.

"C'mon Kairyn!" Littlefoot called craning his neck around to see Kairyn still frozen stiff on the bank behind him.

"Littlefoot I…" he trembled.

"Kairyn! Kairyn, look out!" Petrie then cried. Whirling around, Kairyn screamed in terror as he saw the massive beast was practically on top of him. Rearing up, the T-Rex prepared to lunge at Kairyn to snap him up.

Suddenly, another roar hollered out from the tree canopies. Kairyn adjusted his skyward glare further up a little as a glint of something caught the sun. In no less than a split second, the glint shot down and speared the top of the T-Rex's snout. The beast cried in pain and lifted its head up as it flinched. Kairyn could hardly believe his eyes (or his luck) when he saw the dark figure attached to the glint that had struck the beast and prevented Kairyn's imminent demise.

"Ghost!" Kairyn cried in awe.

"Hurry! Get away!" the Black Ghost shouted back clung desperately to his sword as the beast thrashed about madly. Kairyn, realising how lucky he was to still be breathing at current, no longer argued about the treacherous land bridge and quickly set foot on it. Already half way along, Littlefoot had stopped and turned to witness the commotion on the posterior bank.

"What are you waiting for? Go!" Kairyn yelled flapping at Littlefoot. Quickly but carefully, Littlefoot spun around to carry on along the path.

Trying his hardest not to look down, Kairyn glanced over his shoulder to see the Black Ghost still wrestling with the T-Rex. The beast brought its stumpy arms up and brushed its clawed fingers along its snout. The Black Ghost was knocked by the rub almost separating him from his blade that was still dug into the top of its nose. Then, with another flick of its head, the sword slipped out from the wound it had inflicted forcing the Black Ghost to fall backwards. Catching the unmanned blade in his tumble, the Black Ghost thrust his weapon into the front of the sharptooth's nose, scoring a bloody scratch down its muzzle. The beast squealed painfully and stumbled backwards as the Black Ghost kicked off the end of its nose and flipped over to land on the bridge just behind Kairyn.

"Whoa! Watch it! Don't shake the bloody thing!" Kairyn scorned trying to keep his balance.

"Quit whining," the Black Ghost snapped back at him. With his blade pointed up towards the T-Rex, he shuffled backwards behind Kairyn as they made their way to the opposite bank.

"We are nearly across," Ducky piped happily.

"Hey, don't shove me!" Kairyn squealed having had the Black Ghost back into him.

"Hurry up then! That T-Rex is contemplating trying our little balancing act for himself," the Black Ghost said. Littlefoot and Kairyn both glanced back and saw the sharptooth, nose weeping bloody trickles, glaring at them and creeping forwards.

"Is that flippin' thing mental? This strip can't support his weight PLUS us!" Kairyn yelped in fear.

"He's determined to give it a go. I suggest we hurry up," the Black Ghost said inching backwards as far as Kairyn would permit. The T-Rex took a lunge at the nearest targets but missed as the Black Ghost hopped back and bumped into Kairyn.

"Whoa! My God! You nearly bashed me off you twat!" he screeched. Suddenly, the ground beneath them dipped and a crunching of rock echoed out.

"I don't like the sound, or feel, of that," Kairyn then said finding his stability again. Littlefoot looked down at his feet and saw small cracks worming in between his toes.

"The land path's breaking up!" he warned. Kairyn swore out loud as a lump of rock close to his right foot popped out of the ground and tumbled down into the chasm.

"It's crumbling under us!" he wailed.

"Need any more excuses to hurry the hell up?!" the Black Ghost said dryly as he watched the sharptooth take another step closer and further out onto the bridge.

Then, the Black Ghost felt something wriggle under his leading foot. Sliding his boot backwards, he saw a thin crack snake its way across the width of the suspended pathway.

"Littlefoot, Kairyn! Get to the other side now!" he ordered.

"What are you up to?" Kairyn asked glancing over his shoulder just in time to see the Black Ghost angle his sword vertically downwards and shove it down into the ground. The path trembled as if to flinch at taking the blow as the force of the stab ripped into the ground.

"I'm gonna destroy the bridge. Get to the other side on the double," the Black Ghost said as he stood tall over his embedded sword.

"You're gonna WHAT?!" Littlefoot and Kairyn squeaked in horrified unison.

"You trying to kill us all?!" Kairyn added.

"If that beast takes one more step further out here, we're all in for it. Hurry up!"

"Ghost wait!" Kairyn said but he noticed that a strange black and deep crimson flaming aura had enveloped both of the Black Ghost's gloved hands. Clasping his hands together and interlocking his fingers, the Black Ghost raised his flaming hands high above his head.

"I suggest you both run," he said before swinging his cupped hands down, dragging them through the air and striking the handle of his sword. The sword plunged deeper into the rocks with a dreadful crack forcing it to split along its width. The bridge quivered and began to fall apart.

"Go! NOW!" the Black Ghost shouted, tearing his sword out of the ground with his hands still aflame. The rocks tilted at awkward angles as Littlefoot, Kairyn and the Black Ghost dashed to the bank where Petrie was waiting. Littlefoot made a desperate leap to the other side as a large chunk of rock dropped out before him. His landing was heavy and ungraceful but he had made it safely across.

"Kairyn! Black Ghost! Come on!" he shouted out to them. The gradient of the toppling rocks was increasing dramatically and Kairyn was finding it difficult to scale the segmenting path whilst trying to scramble to the other bank.

Then, Kairyn gasped as he felt his foot hit a section of path that immediately gave way under him. He let out a terrified scream as he toppled sideways with the uneven floor.

"Kairyn!" the three dinosaurs cried as they watched the boy falling into the chasm. Suddenly, Kairyn felt a burning hot force punch him in the small of his back with explosive power. The blast dissipated as it threw him forwards making him slam hard into the wall on the opposite side face first. Winded at first, Kairyn thrust his hands onto any outcropping he could catch on to. His spine burned as if fire had instantaneously erupted on his back. He tucked himself flat against the cliff face as the rocky bridge crumbled away just to his left hand side. The Black Ghost made an impressive leap and landed next to Littlefoot and Ducky who were staring down at Kairyn.

"Kairyn! Quick, grab on!" Littlefoot cried down to his dangling position. With a quick one-eighty turn, Littlefoot dropped his tail over the edge for Kairyn to latch onto. Nervous at first, Kairyn raised a hand up but his flailing fingertips failed to catch Littlefoot's offered lifeline.

"I…I can't reach you. You're too high!" Kairyn groaned taking another flapping snatch but missed again.

"C'mon Kairyn! Reach more!" Petrie pleaded hovering next to him.

"I'm trying!" Kairyn whined.

Digging his feet into the rock face, Kairyn tried to hoist himself higher. Pulling harder on his supporting hand, the outcropping broke away. Kairyn let out a fearful cry as he peeled away from the cliff and began to fall into the chasm.

"NO!" Littlefoot cried in horror as he felt the wind of Kairyn's last swipe brush the tip of his tail. He turned around to see Kairyn plummeting to his doom. Suddenly, the Black Ghost took a short sprint to the edge and, without a second thought, he dove head first down into the gorge after Kairyn.

"No! Black Ghost! What is he doing?!" Ducky squealed in horror as they watched his suicidal dive. Despite starting higher and later than Kairyn, the Black Ghost caught up with Kairyn's freefall in no time. Once he was just beyond him, he flipped head over heels so his feet were now pointing down into the chasm. The Black Ghost then forced another glowing glyph out beneath him which catapulted him back up the way he'd come from. In his rebound, he clasped Kairyn up under his armpits and pulled him back up with him. Their rocket flight did not last long however as the Black Ghost could feel the dragging air already slowing their ascent. Still some distance from the cliff's flat top, the Black Ghost pulled Kairyn up and literally chucked him up the remainder of the way. Still wailing, Kairyn felt his top half land hard on the rocky lip of the cliff where he scrambled up.

Now safely on solid ground, Kairyn glanced down over the edge to see that the Black Ghost was still some way from catching the ledge. Then, the same voice from before shouted out to him.

"Catch him!" it ordered. Kairyn's eyes popped open wider as he saw the Black Ghost's flight was now diminishing.

"He's not gonna make it!" he gasped. Throwing his top half over the edge, Kairyn thrust his hand out to the Black Ghost. As if by psychic connection, the Black Ghost extended his gloved hand up at the same time and they grabbed each other as he began to fall back down into the gorge. The catch jerked Kairyn forwards, threatening to pull him down as well but Littlefoot and Ducky were quick to respond and they each grabbed one of Kairyn's floundering legs to prevent him from sliding over the side. Together they all heaved the Black Ghost up onto the flat of the path where they all collapsed from exhaustion.

"Wow! That was too close!" Kairyn panted.

"We almost didn't make it," Littlefoot sighed having regained control of his own heaving chest.

"Me no believe you two do that! You humans think you can fly or something?" Petrie cawed in awe. Kairyn chuckled at his remark but he was then drawn to the Black Ghost who still appeared to be recovering.

"Kairyn…thank you…" the Black Ghost said groggily, "if you hadn't offered your hand, I would not have made it."

"…Don't mention it…" Kairyn said after an awkward pause, "I did it coz you saved me. But know this. This doesn't mean I have forgiven you for what you did to my father."

"But…I," the Black Ghost started but then he looked into Kairyn's eyes which offered a little respite from his previously angry rants, "…I understand…"

"You both saved-ed each other. That is still a good thing, yep, yep, yep," Ducky chimed in optimistically. Kairyn snorted and quickly rose to standing.

"Where's big, tall and scaly?" he then asked.

"Sharptooth over there," Petrie said pointing out across the gorge. They all turned and looked to see their pursuer pacing up and down along the opposite ledge roaring in annoyance at their escape.

"There's no way in hell he'd be able to get across from there," Kairyn said smugly.

"Don't be so sure. If he wants us that badly, he'll find a way," the Black Ghost said stuffily. He still appeared to be having difficulty regaining his lost energy.

"Thanks for that ray of sunshine there Ghost," Kairyn said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Littlefoot asked the Black Ghost who was still on his hands and knees.

"Y-yeah. I'll…I'll be fine…" he replied trying to stand but he flopped to the ground again.

"You do not look fine. Oh no, no, no," Ducky cooed placing a hand on his arm as he tried to stand again.

"Don't worry…about me…" the Black Ghost said finally finding his feet.

"The thought never once crossed my mind," Kairyn mumbled to himself but flinched when Littlefoot shot him a dirty look.

"Funny…was that your attitude when you decided to entrust your hand to me from over the cliff edge?" the Black Ghost then asked. Kairyn didn't reply. He snorted and shrugged as he turned to Petrie.

"So erm…which way now Petrie?" he asked.

"We follow path up to White Mountains. This way," Petrie announced pointing along the dusty road.

"Then, let's be on our way…" the Black Ghost said. Somehow, he still seemed to be struggling.

"Okay, everybody ready?" Littlefoot asked. The group all responded in one manner or another, "then let's go!"

So, leaving the forest behind, the five travellers continued onwards. As they started their ascent into the mountains, the Black Ghost who was at the back of the group, suddenly came to a jerky stop. A horrible crushing twitch encapsulated his body. He struggled and twisted with the spasms that ripped through him. Dropping to his hands and knees, he felt a hot flush crash over him like a tumbling wave and his vision fogged, dipping in and out of focus.

"_Ugh…it's…it's happening again…_" his mind panicked as the pain ebbed through him, "_No…I...I've gotta keep it together…I can't…can't let this take control…not now…_"

"Hey Ghost! You napping back there? Get a shifty on will ya; let's go!" Kairyn's voice suddenly rained down on him. The mocking call seemed to pull him out of his painful convulsions as he slowly stood upright again.

"It's getting worse…I'm running out of time…" he said to himself as he quickly trotted to catch up with the rest of the gang as they rounded the corner. At that moment, Littlefoot felt something click in his head. Curious by it, he dipped his head in wonder as to what had just broken his concentration.

"Littlefoot? Are you okay?" Ducky asked from atop his back.

"Y-yeah I'm fine Ducky," he replied quickly smiling at her.

"_I wonder what that was…I'm not sure I like it…like someone…in trouble…"_ he thought as he plodded onwards alongside the others. They had only been walking for a short while but they could already feel the air getting colder.


	20. Fire and Ice

Chapter 19: Fire and Ice

Before long, the group of five travellers found themselves leaving the forest far behind and on a steep ascent into the surrounding mountains. The air temperature had quickly plummeted the higher they climbed and they soon found the hard rocky cliff pathways becoming iced over with a dense layer of gleaming white snow that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. Conversations were kept to a minimum since their departure from the forest and their narrow escape from the stalking Tyrannosaurus Rex. Trying their hardest to ignore the nipping cold nibbling at their fingers and toes, Littlefoot, Kairyn and the Black Ghost followed behind Petrie's advance but it was starting to show that he could not fully recall the way he and Ducky had come from to reach the forest where they had bumped into Kairyn and Littlefoot.

"Petrie? Are you sure we come-ed this way? I do not remember seeing that funny shaped rock when we came down from here the first time. Nope, nope, nope," Ducky said.

"Me think we come this way but…me no sure. It all look different now," Petrie said scanning left and right for a recognisable landmark.

"Maybe more white sparkles fell since you guys left here," Littlefoot said.

"Maybe…but me sure there was path here before. 'Member Ducky?" Petrie cawed a little concerned.

"I remember a path. But that was before we got splitted up from Cera and Spike," Ducky said.

"Why doesn't Petrie fly up higher and scout the area for a way through if he can't see one from down here?" Kairyn suggested.

"Okay; me take look," Petrie agreed.

"Be careful Petrie. Remember what happened the last time you did that when we were out looking for Ducky with Mr Thicknose? You don't want to get all frozen up again," Littlefoot warned.

"Me be okay Littlefoot. Me not gonna fly up that high," Petrie replied smiling. Returning the gesture, Littlefoot watched the little pteranodon as he flapped harder to gain altitude.

Fighting with the bursts of wind as he climbed, Petrie got to a reasonable height to survey the area.

"You see anything up there Petrie?" Kairyn called up to him cupping his hands around his mouth.

"No see nothing yet…" Petrie began but he paused when something suddenly caught his eye, "Wait! Me see something!" Swooping back down to the ground, Petrie reported his finding.

"Me see path through mountains. Me no sure if it the way we come before but it definitely a way to go."

"But will it take us any closer to the Great Valley?" Kairyn asked.

"Me no can say for sure," Petrie replied shaking his head.

"Well it's not like we've been following a strict bearing anyway. One path is just as good as any other," the Black Ghost broke in.

"But what about your other two friends? We still don't have a clue as to where they are," Kairyn said.

"Me no see anyone from up there so me guess they still around here somewhere," Petrie said.

"Then there's nothing for it. We can only press on and hope we find them en route," the Black Ghost said, "besides we'll only freeze to death if we remain here. Best we keep moving."

"Okay. Which way Petrie?" Littlefoot asked the little flyer.

"We just follow this path round into mountain valley; it not far."

"Okay; let's go," Littlefoot said lifting a frost-bitten foot forwards.

Just as Petrie had described, the snowy cliff edge route took a swerve and headed in between the high walls of the towering frost capped mountains. Icy gusts of wind whirled around them as they continued through the snowy chasm. Littlefoot followed behind Petrie blindly as his mind wandered. He was somewhat bewildered by the sudden influx of humans after what seemed like an eternity since Jason, Jill and Stone left the Great Valley. It was almost like this was a peculiar event played over. A tale retold but somehow different. Strange thoughts of the humans and the magical stones they each possessed along with his own plagued his mind. Now, suddenly, a new character had taken stage and with _another_ stone. What could that possibly mean?

"Could it be?" Littlefoot whispered to himself, "Could… Kairyn be…?"

"Littlefoot? Are you all right?" a squeaky voice popped in between his firing thoughts.

"Eh…huh? Oh Ducky…" Littlefoot babbled thickly.

"You were mumbling something. Are you okay?" Ducky asked with a slight shiver to her voice. She was obviously chilly from the blasting winds that had seemed to have picked up their pace a little.

"Oh yeah, I'm okay," Littlefoot said quickly. He wasn't quite ready to divulge his thoughts with any of the others yet, "guess I'm just a little cold from being up so high."

"Me too," Ducky said rubbing her arms briskly, "I hope we can get down from here soon."

"Yeah. I hope we can also find Cera and Spike while we are here. I will admit I am worried about them," Littlefoot said seriously.

"I hope so too; I do, I really do," Ducky agreed nodding.

Relieved to have shaken Ducky's suspicion, Littlefoot smiled warmly. Upon receiving a similarly warm expression back, Littlefoot turned back to face forwards. Almost immediately, the haunting thoughts returned. They turned and flipped like erratic pages of a windswept book. For some strange reason, throughout it all, Littlefoot kept getting the same underlying feeling. A sense of foreboding; someone in trouble. Who that someone was, he did not know but what worried him the most was that this troubled figure seemed to be someone close to him. With one last thoughtful hum, Littlefoot tried to shake the harrowing images from his mind's eye and focus on the journey home.

Having travelled for a little while now, the gang of humans and dinosaurs stopped as they found that the high mountainous walls, at some point beyond their realisation, had melted away from either side of them. The snow-capped path before them had suddenly transformed into a high aerial suspended walkway that gave them just as potent a shot of the chills as the high howling winds.

"Whoa! That looks like quite a drop," Kairyn cringed as he peeked over the edge to admire the gaping hole either side of the floating pathway.

"Is…is this the path you were talking about Petrie?" Littlefoot asked somewhat apprehensively.

"Me guess so. But me no think it gonna be over high cliffs," Petrie said apologetically.

"Do we really have to cross that? It does not look very safe. Oh no, no, no," Ducky whined.

"We've got no other way to go Ducky," Littlefoot replied regretfully.

"But it's not even made of rock. It looks more like a long sheet of ice dangling over a death drop canyon," Kairyn said disapprovingly.

"We don't have any other choice," the Black Ghost said flatly as he strode forwards ahead of them, "if this is what we have to deal with then we must respond in kind."

"That's easy for you to say Mr Black Magic Man. You can double jump in mid air if you slip off," Kairyn retorted, "the rest of us are bound by the law of physics and gravity. If we fall, we're hitting the bottom!"

"But the Black Ghost is right. It is the only way to go," Littlefoot agreed.

"But we don't know if we're getting any closer to your homeland though Littlefoot," Kairyn argued again.

"Me know there a way out of White Mountains this way," Petrie said, "but me just no see this hard water bridge."

"But I still don't think…" Kairyn started but the Black Ghost cut in.

"As significant as you feel your pessimistic points are, it is a viable way through and off these mountains, which will be a highly recommended move. We've been travelling for a fair few hours now and it will be dark soon. The air temperature is just bearable at the moment with the sun out. Once it sets, the temperature will drop even lower; and with these high winds, a blizzard could easily kick up without a second's notice. Now, with that all in mind, I strongly urge we be off these peaks before nightfall or risk our blood freezing solid in our veins. Not even the bravest explorers would dare stumble around on a mountain path in the pitch black whilst in the middle of a snow storm. It would be sheer suicide."

Kairyn's face had suddenly drained of colour as he grimaced at the idea of freezing to death in the darkness of a midnight blizzard.

"F-fine then. But will it hold us all? It doesn't look very thick," he mumbled gesturing to the icy bridge.

"We'll just have to be careful not to bunch up in one spot," Littlefoot said, "if we keep a good distance from one another as we cross, it should be okay."

"An intelligent suggestion Littlefoot. And to think; humans consider themselves to be the most intellectually advanced creatures on the planet," the Black Ghost said glancing his blackened hood over in Kairyn's direction.

"At least I can call myself '_human_' you magic conjuring freak!" Kairyn spat back hotly. The Black Ghost merely snorted dismissively at the remark.

Regretfully agreeing to cross the ice bridge, Littlefoot, Ducky, Kairyn and the Black Ghost all stood in a single filed line to prepare for their transfer to the opposite side. The Black Ghost volunteered to take point (to which no one objected to), and set out over the canyon, which roared with a piercing and chilly wind. After a few cautious steps out on to the bridge, the Black Ghost glanced back over his shoulder.

"Kairyn. I'm a safe distance ahead of you. Come on," he called. Kairyn mumbled nervously to himself and fidgeted with his fingers.

"It's okay Kairyn; I'm right behind you," Littlefoot whispered to the shivering boy whose complexion was now so pale he looked like he was about to pass out.

"Just keep looking ahead and don't look down; that's all I do," Littlefoot advised. Kairyn's wide eyes locked with the young longneck's for a brief second, reading the friendly beam spread along his face. Kairyn nodded and turning back to the bridge, he inhaled deeply and took a quivering step forwards.

"Adda-boy Kairyn! You're doing fine!" Littlefoot hollered out to him as he slowly traversed the bridge in what could only be described as "fairy steps".

"Yep, yep, yep! You are doing great!" Ducky piped in supportively.

"God…I wish I was so sure of that as they are," Kairyn mumbled to himself.

Having roughly past the same spot the Black Ghost had reached before summoning him out onto the icy walkway, Kairyn called back to the bank behind him.

"O-okay! Should be safe enough for you to follow me Littlefoot!" Kairyn yelled.

"Alright!" he replied before turning to his passenger, "Ready Ducky?"

"I am ready, yep, yep, yep," Ducky yapped holding onto the base of Littlefoot's neck a little tighter.

"Alright…here we go," Littlefoot announced as he took his first step out onto the ice bridge.

With only a few metres between each of them, the Black Ghost, Kairyn and Littlefoot slowly and carefully edged their way over the snowy gorge. The bridge seemed to stretch on for miles the longer they stood on it. Neither one of them dared to look down through the distorted crystallised structure at the jagged stalagmites that lined the canyon floor. The wind thrashed against them as they tried to maintain their balance on the slippery platform.

"Keep going guys; not too far to go," Petrie cawed from his aerial view down on the four of them.

"Keep up your courage. Focus on the other end and take it steady. We'll get there eventually," the Black Ghost called back to the others.

"I bloody well hope so," Kairyn shouted above the wailing wind as he shielded his face from its breathy gusts.

"Gosh. It's hard to see straight with it being so windy," Littlefoot said with his head bowed and eyes squinted.

Suddenly, Littlefoot felt his front foot touch the bridge but it didn't stick. Now off balance, Littlefoot tripped over and fell onto his stomach as his remaining legs slid out from under him.

"Whoa! Look out!" Littlefoot yelled as he slid along the bridge on his belly. Kairyn, who had been solely focused on the bank on the opposite side, suddenly had his concentration broken by Littlefoot's outcry. With a snappy head turn, he saw Littlefoot gliding towards him speedily, pawing at the ground in a desperate bid to slow himself down.

"No! Littlefoot! Stop!" Kairyn beseeched but the young longneck, try as he might, couldn't prevent himself from sliding straight into the back of Kairyn, bowling him over. Kairyn's legs flicked up from under him as Littlefoot barged into him in his uncontrollable spin. On impact, the jolt threw Ducky from her seat atop Littlefoot and she hit the icy ground with a thud. The momentum of her flight carried Ducky further along the icy path at a dangerous speed.

"Ducky! Look out for the edge!" Petrie suddenly squawked. Ducky, trying to stop herself from sliding any further, let out a terrified screech as she saw the slim edge of the bridge fast approaching.

Having regained control of their skidding, but still entangled in one another, Littlefoot and Kairyn looked over to Ducky as she screamed.

"Ducky!" Littlefoot cried as he helplessly watched his friend slide out over the side of the bridge. Somehow, Ducky managed to grasp the edge thus preventing a deathly freefall into the gorge and its icicle teeth down below.

"Help! HELP!" Ducky shrieked, "I am slipping!"

Just then, Kairyn and Littlefoot saw a brown blur shoot out of the sky and down to where Ducky was hanging over the side.

"Me coming Ducky!" Petrie shrilled over the roaring winds as he nosedived down to her aid. Seeing her aerial rescue incoming, Ducky instinctively reached up to Petrie with one hand to catch his. Suddenly, Kairyn blinked and his entire world seemed to grind to a crawling pace around him. All audible noise suddenly muted and the same warning voice from the forest shouted out a very clear instruction to him.

"Catch her!" the ghostly voice ordered. Blinking once again, time's flow seemed to return to its regular pace as Kairyn continued to look on. Petrie was a mere inch away from Ducky's outstretched hand when suddenly, Ducky's gripped hand slipped off the icy bridge and she tumbled backwards into the gorge allowing Petrie's claws to clamp around nothing but air.

"NO!" Kairyn screamed as he flicked himself around to lay on his stomach. Planting his feet into Littlefoot's side, Kairyn kicked off his abdomen and propelled himself along the bridge like a torpedo. Hanging worryingly close to the open edge, he dangled his arm down and out to reach for Ducky as she fell.

With incredible speed, Kairyn snatched at the wailing Ducky's outstretched hand and plucked her out of the air. Still sliding headfirst along the slippery bridge, Kairyn swung his arm up as they came shooting towards the snowy bank on the opposite side. At the height of the swing, Kairyn released Ducky, allowing her to fly up in the air for a short while before coming to a soft landing in the powdery snow on the bank. Still travelling along the bridge like a speeding sled, Kairyn began to flap when he realised he could not decelerate any more than he was attempting to.

"Whoooaa! Ghost, look out!" Kairyn yelled as he found himself heading straight for the back of the cloaked man who had just stepped off the bridge and onto the other side. Clearly, he had gone on ahead and left the others behind. Turning around to face Kairyn as he shot across the icy floor, the Black Ghost quickly ducked low and clasped one of Kairyn's frantically flapping hands with a lightning quick snatch. In one swift movement, the Black Ghost lifted Kairyn up by his outstretched hand and swung him around at full arm's length as if he were a long, wailing stick. Spinning around to face the other way (away from the bridge), the Black Ghost then released Kairyn allowing him to crash heavily, back first, into the snow covered mountain wall. Wincing with the stunning impact, Kairyn fell to his knees gasping to recover his lost breath.

"That was a reckless act of bravery on your part kid," the Black Ghost said to Kairyn, almost sounding impressed. Kairyn, too breathless to speak, merely glared at the Black Ghost clearly not amused. To him, the remark sounded more sarcastic than congratulatory.

"Oh Kairyn! You saved me, you did!" Ducky's voice suddenly rang out as she waded through the powdery snow to his fallen position. She hugged his arm and nuzzled his face gratefully.

"Thank you Kairyn! Thank you very much!"

"Don't…mention it…" Kairyn wheezed smiling at her.

"What happen? Everyone all right?" Petrie cawed as he flew over to them.

"We are okay now Petrie. Kairyn saved me, he did," Ducky proclaimed.

"Hey! Where's Littlefoot?" Kairyn then asked managing to find his feet again.

"He must still be on the ice bridge," the Black Ghost said.

The four of them all made their way back to the bridge where, sure enough, Littlefoot was still trying to get across. He appeared to be having some difficulty walking on the slicked surface.

"Littlefoot! You okay out there?" Kairyn shouted cupping his hands around his mouth to throw his voice.

"Yeah! I'm okay. Is Ducky alright?" Littlefoot hollered back.

"I am here Littlefoot! Kairyn saved me!" Ducky replied as loudly as she could. All their voices echoed deep into the mountains and replayed with almost equal volume on return.

"Come on Littlefoot! Let's go!" Kairyn shouted to him again, "Watch your step! You're not far…"

"Quiet!" the Black Ghost then snapped suddenly tugging Kairyn's arm. Kairyn snatched his clamped arm out of the Black Ghost's grip angrily.

"Don't grab me like that! What's your problem?" he barked eyeing him dangerously.

"Shh…listen…" the Black Ghost said lowly.

The four of them stood in silence trying to listen for anything out of the ordinary.

"I don't hear anything," Kairyn replied irritably.

"Me no hear nothing neither," Petrie agreed.

Suddenly, a loose clump of snow shot down in front of them and landed in between them all.

"Whoa! Where'd that come from?" Kairyn yelped.

"That is a lot of white sparkles to fall in one go," Ducky said curiously. Suddenly, a low rumbling started to echo over them followed by more large balls of snow raining down on them.

"What that? Sound like an earthshake!" Petrie squeaked.

"No! Worse!" the Black Ghost then said forebodingly.

"Worse?" Ducky, Petrie and Kairyn all asked in troubled unison. Snapping his head up, the Black Ghost spied the threat that was primed to pour down on them.

"Look! Avalanche!" he beckoned pointing up at the nearest mountain to the ice bridge. Kairyn, Ducky and Petrie all whirled around to follow the Black Ghost's pointed finger. On the mountain overshadowing the icy walkway, on the bank they had crossed from, was a tumbling wall of shifting snow fast approaching their static position.

"Giant white landslide!" Petrie shrieked in a panic.

"Oh God! It's heading for the ice bridge; and Littlefoot's still on it!" Kairyn cried in horror.

"The sound of us all shouting to each other must have broken up the supporting layers," the Black Ghost hypothesised.

"Littlefoot! Hurry! Big white landslide coming this way!" Petrie screeched to his longneck friend.

"Huh? What?" Littlefoot babbled.

"Littlefoot! Get over here now! That avalanche will sweep you clean off!" Kairyn yelled to him desperately. Swallowing hard, Littlefoot craned his neck around to see the ton of cascading snow racing down the huge mountainside and straight at him. Now panicked, Littlefoot scrambled to find traction on the slicked path, eager to reach the opposite bank where his friends were beckoning to him.

Kairyn, Petrie and Ducky all called to Littlefoot frantically as the waterfall of snow continued to crash down. It had disappeared behind the hill on the horizon which meant it had since hit ground level and would be racing through the valley towards them. Amongst slipping steps, Littlefoot managed to hurry his pace but the crashing wall of snow was getting dangerous close every second.

"Hey! What are those things in the distance?" Ducky then said pointing beyond Littlefoot scrambling madly to reach them.

"What? Where?" Kairyn stuttered.

"Back there. Coming up to the hard water bridge," Ducky said.

"It looks like…they look like…more dinosaurs," Kairyn said bewildered, "it can't be that same bloody T-Rex from the forest!" Then, Petrie let out a gasp.

"Me no believe it!" Me think that Cera and Spike!"

"What?! The two friends you were looking for?" Kairyn gaped in amazement.

"Yes it is! It is them! We finded them!" Ducky piped happily.

"Well they picked a fine time for a reunion. That avalanche is still coming!" Kairyn warned.

"They need to get over here fast. I'm starting to doubt that that avalanche will end just at the ice bridge," the Black Ghost said in his characterising blunt tone.

"Whad'dya mean?" Kairyn asked apprehensively.

"That wall of snow is travelling too fast. It will probably leap the canyon," the Black Ghost explained emotionlessly.

"So what do we do? We can't just abandon Littlefoot and the other two and run away! They'll never make it; they'll be killed!" Kairyn wailed. The Black Ghost didn't answer right away. Instead, he clenched his two hands into fists and on flicking them open again, a deep crimson and black flame magically engulfed both his gloved hands.

"Get behind me," the Black Ghost instructed. Eyeing the cloaked man suspiciously, Kairyn Ducky and Petrie all shuffled behind the Black Ghost on his command.

"Uhh…Ghost? What exactly are you planning to do?" Kairyn asked fretfully.

"…I'm gonna try and slow it down," he replied, "but they need to be on this side before I can take my shot." The three perched behind the Black Ghost all glanced at each other blankly before turning back to the three sprawling figures on the ice bridge. It was going to be close.

Meanwhile, out on the suspended icy walkway, Littlefoot was alarmed to feel two bodies slide into the back of him.

"Cera! Spike! Where did you two come from?!" he stammered.

"Long story. C'mon; let's get out of here before all that white stuff buries us!" the orangey hued triceratops barked.

"We have to get to the other side to Kairyn and the Black Ghost!" Littlefoot explained adjusting another slipped step.

"To the who and who?" Cera babbled thickly. She looked ahead to the opposite side, "Are those humans over there?!"

"Long story. Come on Spike!" Littlefoot said. The bulky stegosaurus hummed breathlessly as he tried his best to dash along the slippery path. All of a sudden, the three quadrupeds felt their path shudder and tremble. They could see the ice beginning to crack.

"The hard water's breaking apart!" Littlefoot cried anxiously.

"Perfect…" Cera sighed sarcastically.

Back on the bank, Kairyn, Ducky and Petrie remained hunched low behind the Black Ghost whose hands were still aflame in a fire of unnatural shades.

"They almost here!" Petrie said pointing at them through the Black Ghost's legs.

"Oh no! The hard water bridge is cracking!" Ducky cried in terror as she saw thick worming cracks zigzagging their way through the ice.

"Littlefoot! Hurry it up!" Kairyn yelled out to them but he then gasped in horror as a strong tremor tore through the ground, "Oh my God! The avalanche is over the gorge!" As Kairyn had described, the speeding snow had hit the base of the bridge and suddenly catapulted high into the air. The thick snowy blanket towered over the like a giant tsunami wave waiting to crash down on them all.

"Ghost! You might wanna take that shot now…" Kairyn suggested.

"It's too early. They're not off the bridge yet," the Black Ghost retorted still stood firm.

"It's gonna land dead on us! What are you waiting for? Take the shot!"

"They're still too far! If I fire now, I might save us but they'll die! They have to be closer!"

"Come on guys!" Petrie pleaded. The wall of snow was so high over them; it was now blotting out the afternoon sun. The three quadrupeds were now within pouncing distance of the bank as the wall was about to tumble down on them.

"Tell them to jump!" the Black Ghost then said.

"W-what?" Kairyn asked in a panic.

"TELL THEM TO JUMP!!!" the Black Ghost exploded. The flames on his hands suddenly flashed bigger.

"Littlefoot! Cera! Spike! JUMP!" Ducky erupted as loud as her tiny voice would permit.

Without a second thought, all three quadrupeds took one final bounding leap as the ice bridge crumbled beneath them and the tidal wave of snow and ice rained down from above. Three pairs of four feet hit the snowy bank one after the other and they skidded to a halt behind the Black Ghost.

"EVERYBODY DUCK!!!" the Black Ghost roared as he lifted his flaming hands above his head. With a sharp flick, he opened his palms towards the tumbling wall; wrists pressed together side by side. The bizarre flames channelled into a thick fiery beam that struck the avalanche with full force. The group crouched behind the Black Ghost all screamed in fright, fearing they'd all be crushed under the massive weight of the rushing snow. One by one, they unfurled from their defensive balls and looked up at the Black Ghost who was cemented to his spot.

A good few feet in front of the cloaked man was a flaming concave wall of crimson and black that appeared to be dissolving the thick cascade of snow. The licking flames bowed back like a horizontal spurting fountain under the intense pressure and force of the rushing avalanche. The Black Ghost was grunting and straining as his magical flames battled against the crushing wall of snow. His stance seemed to slacken and he ducked to one knee, struggling to keep his arms raised. The contact point of the beam against the avalanche seemed to be shortening and the wall was moving back towards them.

"What's wrong?" Littlefoot called above the roaring of the flames and attacking snow.

"It's…too heavy…I can't…can't hold it…much longer…" the Black Ghost groaned through gritted teeth, "Brace yourselves!"

With that, suddenly, the fiery beam dissipated and the Black Ghost fell limply to the ground. With nothing to hold it back, the avalanche charged forwards. The screaming group were instantly silenced as the thick wall of snow smothered them with crushing force. In a second, the rolling avalanche had stopped; burying the entire group alive under a copious amount of snow with no trace of any of them.


	21. The Two Agents of Darkness

Chapter 20: The Two Agents of Darkness

"I vont zeez place cleaned up und reorganised A-SAP!" Captain Schneider barked as he flung his giant index finger through the air like a thick composer's baton. His team scurried about from room to room mindlessly as they attempted to restore order to the chaos that had erupted on the 203rd floor of the Keltech Building. Schneider grasped the passing shoulder of a short, spiky haired guard, "I vont a full casualty report of all laboratories compiled und sent to the security terminal immediately," The young lad nodded hurryingly and scarpered off seeming somewhat relieved to be released from the captain's vice like, crushing grip. Schneider glanced around from his cemented position. His head was swimming as he attempted to fathom the disastrous events of the night. An alarming number of scientists lay dead due to some unknown agent or attack. On top of that, one of the greatest minds to ever walk these very halls lay fatally wounded in his own private laboratory. What concerned him was that he was the only one to bear an inflicted injury of any kind compared to the other casualties of the evening. A victim sporting the calling card of a faceless murderer.

With thoughts reeling back to the ill-fated Professor Stephen Taylor, Schneider approached the shattered doorway of the professor's lab and peered inside. A lone uniformed figure; a member of his own team, sat on his knees overlooking a half opened, vinyl black body bag. Despite the commotion going on out in the corridor, the onlooker seemed to be in a world of his own.

"Taylor," the captain said as calmly as his deep, gravelly voice would permit, "Taylor, your team needs you to assist vit the clean-up operation." Tyronne didn't reply. He remain sat on his heels staring mournfully at his father's exposed face that expressed utter peace despite the hideous slash wound scored across his lukewarm abdomen.

"We vill find zee von responsible vor zeez atrocity. Dis disgraceful act vill not go unpunished," Schneider continued to Tyronne's back.

"You're damn right it won't go unpunished," Tyronne said lowly zipping up the remaining open track to completely hide his father from view, "I'm gonna find the scumbag responsible for my father's death and I'm going to tear him limb from bloody limb! For Dad and…and for Kairyn."

Tyronne, having brushed his face with the back of his hand, shot to standing and snapped a sharp spin on his heels before marching to the blown out doorway. Schneider caught Tyronne's stiff shoulder as he tried to stride past.

"Vengeance is an act zat is neither brave nor honourable. By claiming zee life of zee one who took your father's vill not bring zem back nor vill it satisfy your anger."

"I don't give a crap! I just want justice for my dad and little brother."

"And justice vill be delivered; zat I assure you. But I need you to help me to help you. I need you as a member of my squad; as you trained to be." Tyronne snorted but looked back at his superior who seemed uncharacteristically sympathetic.

"What will you have me do, sir?" he then said with a grunt.

"Ve-group vit Delta Team. They need assistance in zee other labs. All damage reports need to be logged und viled to zee security terminal."

"…Yes sir…" Tyronne said sharply before heading out into the manic corridor.

With a breathy sigh, Schneider glanced down at the thick, oily-black bag. It gave off a strange glowing halo in the fluorescent strips that illuminated the sterile room. The captain bowed his head and slowly closed his eyes in a solemn nod of respect.

"Captain Schneider," a voice then spoke to him.

"Director Thorne," Schneider returned on a long exhale. Turning around, he unfurled his eyelids and found himself gazing down a few inches to find a young face staring back at him through a set of crystal clear, blue tinted lens that appeared to hover over the bridge of his slender nose without a need for ear hooks. Atop his head was a dense mop of thinly stranded, mousey blonde hair parted off centre and left to drop lazily yet organised into curtains cropped just below his eyebrows. He was a good half a foot shorter than Captain Schneider and being only in his mid to late thirties, he looked very young to be parading around with the title of "director". However, he fit the part from a mere glance at his businessmanly stature and immaculately clean pressed, pin-striped suit despite appearing puny in physical comparison. The hue of the rimless glasses accented the young man's blue eyes as he gazed up at the strongly built captain; his expression grave yet firmly set.

"What's our situation?" Thorne asked. His voice was American accented and although it was not particularly boastful in strength, it was laced with undeniable authority.

"Alpha Team ees running casualty reports and Delta ees totalling damages. Both vill be transverred to Central Command within minutes. Teams Bravo and Charlie are both searching zee area vor any sign or clue to zee perpetrator's vhereabouts," Schneider said exerting some authority of his own in his tone.

"Good. The board is an uproar. They are in a state of panic over the events of tonight. They have already planned a gathering for an immediate comms-link meeting. I will require a complete list of names of casualties as soon as your reports are finalised."

"Yes Director, as you wish."

"I heard that Professor Taylor is amongst the deceased."

"Yes. A tragic loss indeed. How is his partner?"

"Professor Clements is fine. He was in one of the unaffected labs it appears when the attack happened. He has bolted himself in his own lab, out of fear no doubt, and refuses to come out. Are there any clues as to what might have occurred here Captain?"

"None yet but zee forensic teams vill be dispatched to analyse zee rooms vonce Alpha and Delta are finished."

"Any ideas of your own Captain?" Thorne then asked as he massaged his face with one hand.

"I could not say vor sure. My first guess would be some zort of virulent agent but zere is no vay any alien bacteria could have been distributed through the air circulation system vit out da hazardous materials sensor being tripped. Neither vood zat explain how Professor Taylor voz killed. It is best we vait vor forensics to do zere part."

"That may not be an necessary course of action to take captain," a slicked voice suddenly sounded from behind the conversing men.

Thorne and Schneider both swivelled in the same direction to see a black figure appear from around the nearest corner. The figure stood straight and tall, draped in a black cloak with the hood rolled back. The figure's face and body looked human except he was completely jet-black from head to toe and had long thick tentacles that protruded from the back of his head and fell loosely down his back like smooth dreadlocks. His fingers and bare feet were tipped with extended nails that looked more like talons and his eyes were serpentine black slits etched into yellow balls.

"Wha?! Who are you?" Thorne spluttered taking a stumbling few steps backwards. With the newly made space, Schneider leapt forwards, drew his sidearm and pointed it at the figure's head.

"Identify yourself!" the captain demanded. His hands were rock steady. A single twitch of his index finger would mark the immediate end the intruder's life in a blink.

"Neither enemy nor friend. But I can shed some light on what has happened here tonight," the figure said coolly.

"You know what happened here?" Thorne asked airily but the captain instantly flicked his left hand up to his ear and blasted a strict order into it.

"Response squad! Intruder alert! All members to report to cryogenic labs immediate. Hostile entity encountered!"

"Now, is that really necessary?" the figure said shaking his head. Schneider didn't reply but continued to eye the intruder dangerously. Within seconds, the clapping of boots on the polished marble rattled towards the standoff. Seven uniformed members emerged from three different directions of the T-junction pinning the cloaked figure between them. Their rifles were raised and pointed with threatening intent.

"Don't move!" Schneider warned, his pistol still aimed at the spot between the figure's eyes.

"I come here offering my services and this is the welcome I get?" the figure said chuckling to himself.

"You are an intruder on zees premises! You are under arrest and vill accompany my team to zee interrogation voom vor questioning!" Schneider instructed potently. The figure then smiled deviously.

"I'd rather not…" he said slyly just as his eyes fogged over with a swirl of red that completely engulfed his irises.

"Michaels! Restrain him!" Schneider ordered one of the two guards positioned behind the cloaked figure. The guard, rifle still raised, stepped cautiously towards the intruder and lifted a hand to seize the figure's black wrist. As soon as the guard's hand clamped on, the figure spun with lightning speed and grabbed the guard's arm. Now in control, the figure elbowed the guard in the face making him stumble backwards. In the same swift movement, the figure's free hand clamped on the muzzle of the rifle and he pulled it skywards as the flailing guard instinctively pulled the trigger. Bullets flew in a stream up towards the ceiling and ricocheted off the walls forcing everyone else to drop to the floor in a panic to avoid being hit. When the gun stopped, the figure gave the front of the gun a sharp kick upwards which stole the weapon from the guard's hand. Plucking it from the air in its flight, the figure then swung the butt of the rifle around in a wide arc, cracking the guard in the face in its swing. The guard fell to the floor and didn't move.

"GET HIM!" Schneider then screamed from his downed position. With everyone scrambling to their feet, the figure then dashed towards the second guard who was behind him and with a sweeping reverse roundhouse kick, he knocked the guard's rifle away as he began to raise it. With the weapon out of harm's way, the figure then leapt up high and landed on the stunned man's shoulder with his knees either side of his head. Then, arching over backwards, the figure dropped to the floor and stood upside down on his hands, pulling the guard over with his legs. With the back flip, the figure threw the restrained guard towards the other three men stood at the opposite end of the corridor who were just priming their guns to fire. The screaming man flew straight into the aiming guards bowling them all over on contact. As his feet touched the solid ground one after the other, the figure then instinctively turned around one-eighty and flicked his elongated fingers up, exposing the flat of his palm in Schneider's direction. At the same time, Schneider, who had just ducked the flying squad member, raised his pistol and opened fire. He shot three rounds but was amazing to see that the bullets had suddenly become imbedded in what looked like a gelatinous, transparent gold wall between the him and the mysterious intruder.

"Vot da hell?! Vot witchcraft is zees?!" Schneider seared as the two remained guard either side of him knelt before him and opened fire themselves. Still stood on the spot, the figure remained stationary, his palm raised, as every single bullet that was fired from both guards' rifles seemed to stick in the warbling gold wall.

"Cease fire!" Schneider snapped above the machine gun fire and finally rose to his feet.

"So, now you realise that you are no match for me. This in only a fractional display of the power I wield," the figure said boastfully. Schneider gritted his teeth and slowly replaced his handgun into its hip holster. Seeing the huge man finally come to reason, the figure lowered his hand and the golden force field disappeared from view allowing the loose bullets to clatter to the floor like pointed metal marbles.

"In-credible! You are not a creature of this world by physiology nor by feature. What exactly are you?" Thorne then said having stood up side by side with Schneider.

"I represent a race that came to this planet a long time ago. The logistics are complex but no doubt, our race and the spoils we held are a subject area that your company has found of great interest," the figure said smoothly. His eyes dissolving back to their yellowy, serpent slits.

"I…I'm afraid I don't understand," Thorne stammered adjusting his hanging blue tinted glasses.

"Humans very seldom do understand matters that often minimise their own importance as a species," the figure said shaking his head whilst wearing a smug smile, "maybe this will help jog your memory." The figure then held out a closed fist to his audience, the uniformed members itchy to man their weapons. Then, unfurling one lengthy finger at a time, a small ball seemed to materialise and hover over the figure's open palm. It was a tightly wrapped, wispy bundle of black vapour that slithered off a core of deep purple.

"Dark matter!" Thorne breathed but the figure merely smiled.

"I understand you are currently experimenting with this mysterious substance. Unravelling the enigmas surrounding its properties and the functionalities of its seemingly unstable molecular structure, are you not?"

"That is classified information sir," Thorne suddenly said unco-operatively.

"Don't play coy with me. I know you are using this. I can practically smell its odorous scent linger in these rooms like a foul stink."

"You know too much!" Schneider snapped stepping forward but Thorne cut in front of him.

"I sense in your tone you have a proposal to make for us. You clearly are knowledgeable on the subject of dark matter. An area of interest to our department; yes. That is obviously your buy-line. But what is it you want from us? A bargain always works both ways after all," the director then asked intrigued yet calm.

"I'm looking for someone. Someone who holds a very valuable key to a riddle that envelopes a hidden power long lost by our tribe; the Siax. I tracked him down here tonight; that was before he decided to lay waste to your property and your colleagues."

"The Black Ghost?!" a voice then echoed from somewhere in the crowd that had since been growing. The figure's gaze locked onto the face that uttered a name of interest. He spotted a young man dressed in a security uniform towards the back of the huddle.

"Yes. That is the one I am after," the figure said smiling.

"Well, you'll have to get in line and await an autopsy of his corpse coz I want him for myself!" the voice then spat hotly.

"TAYLOR!" Schneider snapped for him to be silent but the figure was already gliding over to the young man with light footsteps.

"He has done you wrong too it sounds," the figure said cooingly, leaning through the parted crowd to face the young man. In fear of his superior barking at him again, Tyronne simply nodded discreetly.

"The Black Ghost has a lot to answer for. It is my job to retrieve this wayward soul and bring him back to the Siax."

"He's…one of you?" Tyronne asked almost whispering.

"Yes…although he condemns his lineage and lashes out at all those who stand in his way. I have taken it upon myself to bring him in. There always is a black sheep of the family," the figure said before he turned back to the director, "so, that is my offer. Help me with my investigation and I help you unlock the mysteries of dark matter and my ancestors' rich history. I assure you; all your efforts will be rewarded greatly."

Director Thorne seemed to ponder the thought for a moment. After a brief tussle with his judgement, he stepped towards the figure.

"It seems we have business to discuss," he said at last, throwing his arm out to gesture a path, "if you'd care to accompany us to one of our meeting rooms, we shall go over what necessary information need be transcribed." The figure's smile widened even further as he accepted the invitation with a slow single bow of his head.

"Our guards will escort you to the room," Thorne said as he clicked his fingers at Tyronne and another guard to lead the figure away. The captain glanced at the man in dumbstruck horror.

"But…Director Thorne?!" Schneider then stuttered but Thorne threw a hand up in his face.

"Please, this way Mr…"

"Zeiger…"

"Very good, Mr Zeiger. Now, if you please…"

As Tyronne and the second guard ferried the cloaked figure away down the corridor, Director Thorne began dispersing the crowd. With the stranger now out of earshot, Schneider whirled around and glared at Thorne.

"Are you inzane Nigel?! Zat intruder could be zee von responsible vor the despicable deaths vee've zeen tonight? Und you are just gonna invite him in vor a cup of tea und a friendly chat?!" he scorned with angry eyes.

"That creature maybe be our only clue as to what happened here. He is clearly not of this world yet he seems incredibly knowledgeable in matters that could benefit our current state of affairs," Thorne said back very matter-of-factly.

"Director! Zees is hardly the time vor business partnerships! Innocent people 'ave been killed tonight! Und zee only intruder found in the area you are giving full access to our facilities?!"

"Of course not Schneider! Don't be such a fool!" Thorne then barked irritably, "I am aware of the atrocity that has happened here and we have a chance to put it all to right. This 'Zeiger' character may be able to give us just what we need to fulfil what our scientists were looking to accomplish. I will be linking him up with Professor Clements once we've discussed the trivial matters. If you want your interrogation, it will have to wait until afterwards. In the mean time, continue your clean up operations here. I will need you and Captain Clifford in the Briefing Room later to discuss a mission plan."

"Mission plan Director?" Schneider asked curiously as Thorne turned to leave.

"Yes dear Captain. If this all goes well, we may get a chance to reactive the ancient technology we discovered not too long ago. Maybe more than just a squad of three could be utilise it." Schneider wanted to banter the idea but he knew that there was no argument that would sway the director from his final decision.

"Yes Director Thorne," he said sighing deeply.

"Good. I will call for you once my talk with the creature has finished. I don't want word of this to spread by any means. This could be the breakthrough we've been yearning for. You know the drill on the confidentiality of business Captain. I expect it to be upheld." Schneider nodded again as Director Thorne continued down the corridor. His thick soled leather shoes clapping audibly on the marble floor.

*

High up on the snowy mountainside, the area looked a mess. Great rippling layers of tightly packed snow lay strewn about the valley path as a result of the monstrous avalanche that had thundered its way down from the mountain summits. Suddenly, from the frozen landscape, something burst through the snow, shooting straight up and into the nipping cold air like a thick stemmed flower. It bent and wavered for a second before it fell to the ground with the pull of gravity. As his tail hit the ground, Littlefoot dug his heels into the floor and pulled with all his might. With a sudden pop, he flew backwards out of the snowy mound and landed in a seated position. He choked and gasped for breath as the dimming sunlight scorched his vision having been submerged for a length of time that seemed far too long by any count. As he regained his bearings, hardly able to believe that he had survived the avalanche, Littlefoot scanned the snowy plateau that layered the valley path through the mountain.

"Cera! Ducky! Spike and the others!" he then gasped. Hopping to his feet, Littlefoot frantically searched for any signs of his friends who were, no doubt, still buried under the snow. Wading through the randomly formed snowy banks, Littlefoot suddenly felt a sharp point jab him on the underside of his leading foot. Flinching, Littlefoot jumped back a few paces. Glancing down at the path he had just dragged through the snow, Littlefoot saw an odd surface partially concealed under the white blanket. A strange orangey-yellow colour.

"Is that?" Littlefoot said to himself before pawing at the surface. It was chilled but still warm to the touch. Pulling more snow out of the way, Littlefoot began to recognise more of unnaturally coloured object.

"Cera?!" Littlefoot then gasped. He began to dig deeper and faster, trying his hardest to ignore the icy stabbing of the cold against his feet. After a minute or two, Littlefoot finally cleared away enough of the snow to reveal most of Cera's head and upper body.

"Cera! Cera, you okay?" Littlefoot asked nudging his triceratops friend briskly. He was relieved to see Cera begin to stir.

"Cera…are you alright?" Littlefoot asked again as Cera slowly raised her head and coughed.

"Uhh…Littlefoot?" Cera hummed groggily as she squinted to look at his worried expression, "Littlefoot? Is that you?"

"Yeah! It's me Cera!" Littlefoot beamed, "Can you stand?"

"I'm a threehorn. Threehorns…can do…anything…" Cera muttered defiantly as she pushed herself to her feet, allowing the snow that powdered her back to tumbled off. Littlefoot giggled as Cera slowly regained her bearings.

"Where are the others?" she asked looking over the snowy terrain.

"I don't know. I've only just woken up myself," Littlefoot replied, "We'd better find them quickly." With a sharp nod, the pair of them broke off in two separate directions to locate their friends. Cera managed to find Ducky and Petrie fairly close together a little further down the trail, and Littlefoot found Spike pressed up against the mountainside, suspended upside down. With all five of them reunited, they all regrouped in the middle of the pathway.

"Great. Looks like we've got everyone," Cera said chirpily, "Let's get going. It's gonna be a long trek back to the Great Valley from here." She was about to turn and head off when Littlefoot called out to her.

"No Cera wait! We didn't find Kairyn or the Black Ghost. They're still around here somewhere!"

"Kairyn and the Black what?" Cera asked furrowing her brow half curious yet half irritated.

"Kairyn and Black Ghost. Ducky and me find them in the forest with Littlefoot," Petrie elaborated.

"They are humans just like Jason. Well, I think that the Black Ghost is a human," Ducky joined in.

"So those WERE humans with you," Cera said sounding surprised.

"Yeah…they're coming back to the Great Valley with us," Littlefoot said. Cera immediately put up her defence.

"What?! Ohhh no! After what those humans in black did to you, there is no WAY we are letting MORE humans back into the Valley!" she grumbled.

"Why not? They're fine Cera. They've been helping us make our way back," Littlefoot argued, "If it wasn't for them, we probably wouldn't be standing here right now."

"But Littlefoot! Humans were the ones who kidnapped you out of the Great Valley? Why are you gonna bring them back? So they can do the same thing again?!" Cera bantered.

"But…it was not Kairyn or the Black Ghost who kidnapped-ed Littlefoot. Oh no, no, no," Ducky said.

"Yeah, Kairyn save Ducky and Black Ghost save…well, everyone…sorta," Petrie piped in. Littlefoot then realised that the pair of them were still buried somewhere in the area.

"C'mon, we've got to find them before they freeze!" Littlefoot said urgently breaking away from the ring to start the hunt. Cera, still primed to argue her point, closed her hanging mouth when she realised that no one was listening. She glanced over at Spike who hummed in confusion.

"Come on Spike! Let's at least help them find these stupid humans," Cera sighed, nodding towards where the other three were digging.

It took them a few minutes but between the five of them, they managed to find one body hidden in the snow and after a few nudges and pleas to awaken, Kairyn coughed sickly and sat up.

"My God! What the hell happened?" he gasped. Then he looked up to see Littlefoot standing over him, "Littlefoot! You're okay!" Littlefoot smiled as Kairyn scanned around the group.

"Ducky! Petrie! You're okay too!" he piped happily. The pair nodded enthusiastically. Kairyn's eyes then suddenly moved over to two faces he did not recognise and his smile quickly melted.

"Whoa! Who are those two?" Kairyn asked rising to standing and dusting himself off.

"That's Cera and over there is Spike; Ducky's younger brother," Littlefoot introduced. Spike smiled and hummed graciously. Cera, on the other hand, simply snorted. Kairyn gave them a quick wave.

"Where's the Black Ghost?" Kairyn asked, noticing that one body was still absent.

"We don't know. We haven't been able to find him," Littlefoot said somewhat guiltily.

"Well he can't have gone far. It was his bright idea to try and blast the snow with his magic fire beam or whatever that was," Kairyn said flatly.

"But we looked all over. We no see him," Petrie sighed.

"Maybe he was crushed under all the ground sparkles," Cera said smiling smugly.

"That's NOT funny Cera!" Littlefoot snapped eyeing her dangerously, "We've gotta find him in case…"

Suddenly, there was an eruption from the ground and a thick broken wall of snow flew up into the air. The group turned in shock just in time to shield themselves as the heavy clumps of snow began to rain down on them.

"What the hell?!" Kairyn said as he shook his sleeves clean of the falling mass.

"Look!" Ducky then yelped pointing to the epicentre of the explosion, "It is the Black Ghost! It is!" Everyone turned to look and, sure enough, the Black Ghost was stood, with his back to them, in the centre of a crater where the snow had been blown into the air from.

"Yeah, it him!" Petrie cawed.

"Yeah it's him…but what's wrong with him?" Kairyn then asked eyeing the cloaked man's back pryingly.

"He's…covered in…some sort of…black mist…" Cera said unsure. As Cera had described, the Black Ghost stood unmoving but his entire stance seemed to be seeping a bizarre black mist that flicked off his body in rolling, airy wisps. Littlefoot made the first move and quickly hurried over to him.

"Hey! Black Ghost!" he called when he was within earshot but he didn't get a response.

"Black Ghost…are you okay?" Littlefoot tried again. This time, he spoke back.

"Traitor…" he said lowly. Littlefoot looked a little taken aback.

"What?"

"Traitor…All traitors need to be punished…" the Black Ghost said in the same deep, monotonic tone.

"What do you mean?" Littlefoot asked confused. Something in the Black Ghost's voice didn't sound right. It was almost as if it wasn't the voice Littlefoot had come to recognise since meeting him.

"All traitors…need to be punished…" he said again. Only this time, the Black Ghost stuck his hand inside his long flowing coat and drew his sword. In a flash, the Black Ghost swung the glinting blade around and stopped it, a mere hair's breadth, from Littlefoot's throat. Littlefoot swallowed the gasp of air that the blade's sharpened edge had managed to catch in his larynx. Paralysed by the flash of the sword, Littlefoot could only look into the blank void of the Black Ghost's hood. Suddenly, from the perpetual darkness, Littlefoot saw two red glows shimmer in the blackness.

"Ghost! What the hell are you doing?!" Kairyn screamed running up to them, closely followed by the others.

"All traitors need to be punished for their sins. For meddling in affairs beyond their understanding and preventing us from achieving our goal," the Black Ghost uttered. A sinister undertone seems to be wormed into his own voice making it sound like there were two people using his one voicebox.

"But…he is not a traitor! Oh no, no, no!" Ducky cried meagrely.

"I'll stop him!" Cera said dipping her head as she began pawing the ground.

"No Cera don't! No do that! Littlefoot might get hurt!" Petrie beseeched standing in front of her.

"Ghost! What the bloody hell is wrong with you?! Snap out of it! It's Littlefoot for God's sake!" Kairyn shouted lividly. Littlefoot, still too fearful to move, could only stare at the red glowing eyes glowering back but he suddenly saw them fade out for a brief second like a faulty lightbulb.

"G-Ghost…it's me…Littlefoot. Don't you remember me?" Littlefoot whimpered still watching those glowing red eyes that flickered in and out again.

"Li-Littlefoot?" the Black Ghost stammered. His head dipped and he held it in his hand as if he'd been struck by a sudden headache. The sword rolled over the pulse throbbing madly in Littlefoot's neck and fell harmlessly to the ground in the Black Ghost's gloved hand. Seeing the fall of the weapon, Littlefoot instantly shuffled backwards to a safe distance, out of reach.

"What the hell was that about, you stupid twat!" Kairyn screamed outraged, "You were about to decapitate him with that sodding sword of yours! What were to playing at?!"

"I…I didn't…I mean…I wasn't going to…" the Black Ghost babbled still wrestling with his head.

"You see! He's a danger to everyone! And he tells me he didn't kill my father?! He's a freak! A MURDERER! And he was about to do it to Littlefoot too!" Kairyn exploded.

"No…NO! NO! It's not true! I never wanted to hurt him…NEVER! I…I didn't kill anyone!" the Black Ghost yelled. Compared to his usual composure, he was now very panic-stricken and fearful.

"YES you did! You killed him! ADMIT IT!" Kairyn bellowed even louder than before. The Black Ghost suddenly stumbled backwards like he was struck by a strong blow to his stomach. He dropped to his knees and clutched his head. The gang all stepped backwards a few paces as the cloaked man started screaming aloud deliriously. He began muttering and mumbling to himself; almost as if he was arguing with someone.

"No! NOOO! You don't control me! I'm not one of you…NEVER!" he screeched.

"What's happening to him?" Ducky yelped fearfully.

"He's flipping out! He's gone insane! He did the same thing back at Keltech when I was with him in the cryogenic lab where Littlefoot was," Kairyn said watching the writhing man anxiously. Littlefoot then felt his mind give him a jolt. Something came into his mind's eye as he processed what Kairyn had just said. He couldn't place when or where it happened, but he could have sworn he heard someone crying out to him; like they were in a great amount of pain. They were pleading and begging for him to set them free from their torment but Littlefoot could only listen to the agonising cries of despair. He couldn't do anything to help despite wanting to. Could it have been the Black Ghost?

"Black Ghost!" Littlefoot then called out. The others shot him an awestruck glance as he took a few steps towards the fallen figure.

"Littlefoot, don't!" Cera called to him but Littlefoot ignored her.

"Black Ghost…" he asked again.

"No…I'm not a ghost…I'm not a…" the man replied in amongst his terrified screams.

"Then…who are you?" Littlefoot asked now practically standing next to him. His head ducked low to try and find the black hole of his hood. The Black Ghost suddenly froze. He stopped screeching and slowly lifted his head to meet Littlefoot's wide eyes.

"Who are you?" Littlefoot repeated. He wasn't sure what force was driving him but something deep inside him was yearning to help.

"I am…a prisoner…" the Black Ghost then answered breathlessly.

"A prisoner?" Kairyn uttered glancing between the other dumbstruck dinosaurs and the back of Littlefoot.

"A prisoner…of fate…" the Black Ghost then continued.

"A prisoner of fate?" Littlefoot echoed, "but…what does that mean?"

"The stones…they can set me free…free me of my curse…" he continued. Littlefoot couldn't seem to understand.

"But, Ghost…who are you?" Littlefoot said still trying to get an answer to his original question. There was a long silence before the Black Ghost finally answered.

"Me?......I was……one of you…" he replied softly. Littlefoot's eyes widened as a shallow gasp escaped his lips.

"What?! One of us?!"

Before he could get an answer, Littlefoot jumped backwards into the snow as the Black Ghost suddenly erupted into another bursting fit of screams and violent thrashings. Kairyn yelled for Littlefoot to get back further as the Black Ghost jumped to standing and snapped a threatening turn towards the six of them. The group flinched as the Black Ghost readied his sword and ran at them. Quick to respond, Cera instantly kicked off and dashed straight at him, totally ignoring the shouts from her friends. With her head dipped low so her nose horn was primed to hit a target, Cera then felt something pounce on the centre of her back. Wincing with the stomp, Cera fell flat as the Black Ghost vault high up over the group. They all watched in awe as the Black Ghost's body suddenly burst into the same strange black mist from before. Whilst airborne, the Black Ghost tucked himself into a tight ball before throwing his arms and legs out violently. A blasting shockwave shot out from him and tore over the area hitting the gang head on, forcing them to battle to keep their balance. The snow instantly seemed to evaporate around them as the black mist dissipated into the air along with any trace of the Black Ghost. Having ducked the shockwave that rolled over them, Littlefoot stood up straight again before dashing to the aerial spot where the Black Ghost had mysteriously vanished.

"He's gone!" he gasped.

"Hopefully for good this time," Kairyn muttered dusting himself off having landed flat on his back from the blast.

"Look! The Black Ghost melted away all the white ground sparkles!" Ducky breathed in shock.

"Can someone please tell me what all that was about? Who was that guy?" Cera barked irritably as she pushed her face off the ground.

"He…needed our help," Littlefoot said airily still looking at the spot where the Black Ghost had disappeared.

"Believe me Littlefoot. The kind of help that creep needs, we can't give him," Kairyn muttered sarcastically, "C'mon, we're better off without him anyway." As the group recomposed themselves to set out, Littlefoot continued to look to the dimming light on the horizon where the Black Ghost had made his exit. What the Black Ghost had said disturbed him.

"_He's…one of us? What did he mean by that?_" he pondered. The voices of his friends signalling for him to follow broke his trance momentarily as he trotted after them. His mind still burning about the mysterious entity.


	22. A Familiar Sighting

Chapter 21: A Familiar Sighting

"Littlefoot! Will you come on!" Cera grumbled as she stopped and turned back to him. Littlefoot was dragging his feet and the group had already gained some distance ahead of him.

"Umm…wha?" Littlefoot mumbled as he looked up and forwards at Cera's angrily pursed face.

"Pick up the pace will you! We've gotta get off this lump of frozen rock before the Bright Circle goes down," she snapped.

"Oh right…sorry," Littlefoot stammered as he quickened his gait. Cera snorted as Littlefoot pulled up alongside her and they continued down the path which had started to become snowy once again from where the Black Ghost had exited rather explosively.

"Littlefoot, what's with you lately? Ever since that false calling of the humans' return, you always seems so…not with it these days," Cera said to the side of his face. Littlefoot's eyes were angled down just beyond his shifting feet as his pondered the question.

"I…I don't know…I guess I've just been thinking a lot about when the humans were last here. About when…when Jason was here…" Littlefoot sighed, "And now, with humans here again now…I just…I just feel…so muddled up. I don't know what I'm thinking right now."

"Yeah, about the humans. Just who is that kid anyway?" Cera mumbled lowly as she nodded over to the front of the travelling pack.

"Who…Kairyn?" Littlefoot then said finally looking up to the boy's back and then back down to Cera on his right side, "Well…I kinda…found him. Kairyn was by a small lake on the other side of the mountains back there but when he woke up, he got scared and he ran off. I found him again in a canyon through the mountains. He saved me from a sharptooth attack and some falling rocks; we escaped into a forest after that. That's when we found Ducky and Petrie."

"So…what's he doing with us?" Cera quickly shot in.

"I told you already. He's coming to the Great Valley with us. He's looking for a way to get back to the human world," Littlefoot said.

"But he can't come back with us! The whole Valley is really angry with the humans that kidnapped you. Even if he does make it back with us, there's no way the grown-ups will let him in," Cera muttered through gritted teeth. She was trying her hardest not to blurt out and draw attention to the pair of them.

"I'll explain to Grandma and Grandpa that Kairyn saved me. They'll protect him even if the others don't want him there," Littlefoot retorted. Cera opened her mouth to argue back but she quickly let out a breathy sigh. Sometimes, Littlefoot could be as stubborn as she was, especially when it came to sticking his neck out for someone in need of help.

"Fine whatever. And what about that weirdo with the black wings that disappeared in midair?" Cera continued to probe.

"The Black Ghost? I don't know much about him. Not even Kairyn does," Littlefoot said.

"He acted really strange back there. Started screaming and lashing out at nothing. He almost had your head off!"

"Don't remind me," Littlefoot seethed nervously as a prickly tingle ran down the length of his neck.

"Didn't that other kid say that the one all in black killed his father?" Cera then asked whispering even lower now.

"Kairyn says he did but the Black Ghost swears that he didn't. I dunno…I don't wanna call Kairyn a liar but…" Littlefoot said airily.

"You don't think he did?" Cera finished for him.

"I don't think so, no."

"But how can you know that? You don't even know who this Ghost guy is!"

"I know I don't…but…" Littlefoot sighed again. His troubling thoughts had returned again. They made him anxious but he couldn't place why, "He said…he was a prisoner…a prisoner of fate. And he also said that…he was once like us…"

"What? He used to be a dinosaur?" Cera babbled dumbly.

"No, no! Not a dinosaur," Littlefoot replied shaking his head, "But that's what I can't understand…what did he mean by that?"

"You've been hanging around these humans for too long Littlefoot," Cera snorted. Littlefoot didn't answer her. He merely glanced at her sideways before the weight of his thoughts pulled his gaze back down to the ground beneath him.

"I have to say, I don't like these humans being around us. They just seem to bring trouble with them," Cera then said. Littlefoot, too tired and too distracted by his own mind to argue, just sighed heavily. His breath clouding in his face as it condensed in the cool air.

Having now fallen silent, Littlefoot and Cera quickly found themselves pulling up to the other four who had stopped by a random assortment of boulders jutting out of the snow.

"What's the hold up?" Cera barked as she walked through the middle of their gathering to continue onwards.

"We are tired and need to rest. Yup, yup, yup," Ducky said as she dusted the snow off a small rock and sat on it.

"Me agree. We stop for few minutes," Petrie said as he flopped down next to Ducky on her rock.

"Guys! It will be dark soon! I don't know about you but I'm not sleeping on any white ground sparkles tonight," Cera grumbled as she stopped to glance back at the halted group. Littlefoot had stopped between Spike and Kairyn. Suddenly, Cera caught the sound of snickering and she snapped her eyes over to where Kairyn was perched.

"What's so funny human!" she spat hotly, her brow furrowed.

"Oh no nothing. Just those words…'white ground sparkles'. A bit long winded isn't it? Why not just say snow?" Kairyn said still smirking. Cera however didn't find this humorous and quickly stepped up to him.

"I find nothing funny about being stuck out here, so far from home, in this…'snow' stuff!" she said in mocking anger, "And I really don't find it funny that you are tagging along with us in the first place human, so how about less of the stupid giggling and let's get off this White Mountain before we all freeze to death!" Cera was now pressing her nose against Kairyn's.

"Yes Miss," Kairyn said hurryingly; nodding at double the speed. His smile wiped clean from his face. With one last snort, Cera turned on her heels and wandered away.

"Sheesh…not much of a people person is she," Kairyn whispered to Littlefoot behind the back of his hand.

"Don't mind Cera. It will take a little time for you to warm up to her; don't take it personally. She's a little upset about the humans that took me from our homeland," Littlefoot reassured him.

"A little anger management wouldn't go amiss for her I'd say. I much prefer that Stegosaurus guy over there. Spike isn't it?" Kairyn asked pointing to the other side of the circle.

"Yeah, that's Spike. He's Ducky's younger brother. We found him on our first journey to the Great Valley. He was all alone when he hatched but Ducky stuck with him," Littlefoot explained.

"He was an orphan?" Kairyn asked sounding a little shocked and Littlefoot nodded, "He doesn't seem to talk much. Is he totally mute or does he just choose not to."

"Spike can talk…well…sorta. He kinda makes sounds but we can seem to understand him," Littlefoot said with a smile. Kairyn nodded.

"So what's with Little Miss Wound Up Tight over there? She seems to be rather loud-mouthed and thick-skinned," he then asked pointing to Cera.

"And hard-headed," Littlefoot giggled, "Cera's a good dinosaur really. But like most threehorns, she kinda thinks they're the best at everything."

"Sounds like the Becker Brothers at school back home. Always think they're better than everyone else." After a few moments more, Kairyn stood up and stretched.

"So, where to now?" he asked the group as they huddled together.

"We just follow the trial off the mountain. With any luck we'll be off it before the Bright Circle goes down," Cera said motioning down the snowy path.

"Looks like we've only got a few hours of daylight left," Kairyn said look up at the sun's position in the sky. It was floating just a little way about the summit of the mountains and the sky was beginning to deepen its fiery hue.

"Then we'd better get moving," Littlefoot said. With one last conjunctive nod, the six of them all trekked down the snowy road.

For the majority of their trek through the mountain range, the group remained silent. The trail took them down off the peaks and into a narrow passage of high walls on one side and perilous plummets on the other. Staying shrugged up against the mountainside, the five grounded travellers inched their way past a thin ledge as Petrie took the safer option of flying over the break in the path.

"See anything up there Petrie?" Cera called as she hopped onto the wider section of the path.

"Trail not long now. Me can see its end. We almost there," the little flyer cawed from his aerial surveillance position.

"That's a relief," Kairyn said as he sidled the thin-lipped edge to the other side to join the others.

"I will be happy to be away from all these ground sparkles. They are very pretty but they are very cold. They are," Ducky said as she remounted Spike.

"Me too Ducky. My feet are all numb now," Littlefoot added wriggling his frost-bitten toes.

"Guys, what are we gonna do about a spot to camp for the night? We're in the shadow of the mountain now and it's gonna be getting properly dark soon," Kairyn said looking up at the setting sun which was slowly disappearing between the jagged summits behind them. Only the top half of the blazing orange ball was showing.

"We can worry about that once we're off this frozen rock," Cera muttered, "C'mon let's keep going." With a quick glance at each other, they all followed Cera as she took the lead. Just as they set off, Littlefoot flinched as he felt a loose clump of snow hit him on the end of his nose. Pausing for a second, he shook his head violently and looked up at the snowy ridge just above them. It was laced with large icicles and snowy mounts teetering dangerously close to the edge. He gasped when he saw something shift above them disturbing a large mound of snow. Littlefoot gasped again when he realised that Cera was just about to walk under the tumbling snow. Without warning, he dashed forward, barging past the others, and bit down on the end of Cera's swinging tail as she continued onwards oblivious. Ignoring Cera's scream of pain, Littlefoot dug his heels in and yanked her backwards just as the mound of snow collapsed just in front of her.

"Whoa! Quick thinking there Littlefoot," Kairyn congratulated.

"Yeah…next time warn me when you're gonna take a bite out of my tail will ya," Cera grumbled rubbing her smarting appendage.

"Well, it not the first time you been bitten there Cera," Petrie said smirking.

"Oh yes. Chomper used to like biting Cera there too. He did, he did," Ducky giggled.

"Thanks guys," Cera mumbled sarcastically as Ducky, Petrie and Spike all started laughing aloud.

"An inside joke I'm guessing," Kairyn said grinning to Littlefoot but he quickly saw that the young longneck was not joining in on the laughter.

"What's wrong Littlefoot?" he then asked.

"I think I saw something up there," Littlefoot replied. His gaze was cemented on the ridge above them. He then hushed the laughing group with a sharp breath blast and looked back up at the ridge.

"What is the matter Littlefoot?" Ducky asked.

"Something up there moved the ground sparkles," Littlefoot warned as he continued to scan the overhang, "Petrie, will you take a look up there? See if anything's there."

"Erm…okay," Petrie said, his voice a little shaky. With a quick flap, he climbed up and around the ridge and peered down the open track.

"See anything?" Littlefoot called up to him.

"Nuh-uh…me no see nothing," Petrie called back. Relieved to find the pathway empty, Petrie ascended a little higher over the path above the others. Suddenly, there was an unexpected rumble of the ground. More of the snow mounds from overhead fell loose from the path and rained down on the remaining five. With a quick dodge, they all glanced at each other as more rumbles pursued the previous.

"I don't like the sound of that," Kairyn cringed.

"An earthshake?" Ducky asked worryingly. Suddenly, a dark figure appeared on a higher path beyond where Petrie was scouting.

"No…worse!" Littlefoot replied, his eyes growing wide with fright as a low growl echoed over them.

"Petrie, look out! Above you!" Cera shouted up to the level above. Petrie was still looking at the path in front of him and failed to see the large head slowly emerge on the ridge above him. Petrie, confused at first, glanced down to Cera then back up behind him. In the failing light, he saw the shadowy face of the large predator glaring down on him.

"Sharptooth!" Petrie wailed. In response to his fearful outcry, the carnivorous dinosaur let out a deafening roar before taking a leap down to where Petrie was hovering. Quick to react, Petrie turned and dived back down to his friends just as the huge dinosaur landed where he had been moments earlier.

"Ahh...not again! Don't these cretins ever take a damn break?!" Kairyn grumbled as the shockwave of the carnivore's landing rippled through his level and to theirs beneath. The force of the landing dislodged some of the icicles and they rained down on them.

"Let's get outta here!" Littlefoot cried kicking off into a sprint. Following his lead, the others all chased after Littlefoot as the sharptooth began to follow on the ledge above them. The thunderous footsteps from the predator above gave the gang more obstacles to dodge as a meteor rain of ice crystals shot down on them from the overhang. With the shifting moves from left to right, it was allowing their pursuer to catch them up.

"It is getting closer!" Ducky warned as she covered her head whilst Spike pounded the snowy track as fast as he could.

"Keep going! We're nearly at the end of the path!" Littlefoot called backwards as he zigzagged through a barrage of icy needles that dropped just in front of him. Passing a gaping hole in the wall to their right, the gang continued to charge down their path trying desperate to distance themselves from the chasing sharptooth. To their worry, they could still hear the rumbling footfalls of the beast above them but the overhang had now deepened and stole the carnivore from sight.

"Where'd he go?" Petrie asked between mad flaps of his wings. Suddenly, the pounding footsteps silenced for a moment. The gang glanced up as a huge shadow fell from the path above them and landed before them, cutting them off. The group screamed as the beast skidded on the loose snow and turned to face them. Sliding to a stop, the group spun around to double back the way they'd come from. After a slippery start, the sharptooth took off after its fleeing prey.

"He's blocking us off! What do we do now?" Kairyn wailed as he pushed himself to run faster. Another threatening roar blasted behind them as they continued to sprint onwards.

"Guys look! A cave! We can hide in there!" Littlefoot then shouted as they re-approached the giant hole in the wall which coming up on their left. Without any argument, all six of them took a power-sliding turn and dashed straight into the entrance of the cave. Following them up, the sharptooth made a clumsy turn and ploughed its monstrous head into the mouth of the cave's entrance in a last ditch effort to snap up even one of them. The gang screamed as the beast's head destroyed the overhanging ridge and caused it to collapse in. The sharptooth quickly withdrew its head as a huge collection of rocks, snow and ice tumbled into the mouth of the cave blocking it up.

Gasping for breath, the group all checked in.

"Everyone…okay?" Littlefoot asked through gulping breaths.

"Me okay," Petrie replied.

"We are okay too, we are," Ducky said calling in for Spike as well.

"Limbs still intact so I'm all good," Kairyn said hunched over on his knees.

"Grr…that dumb sharptooth! He cut us off from the end of the path!" Cera grumbled kicking a loose stone that had broken away from the cave-in.

"I'll be damned if that isn't the same T-Rex that's been chasing us since the beginning," Kairyn said, "I'd love to know how he got over that pit after the forest without the bridge."

"At least we are all alright, yep, yep, yep," Ducky chimed in.

"Ducky's right. We've just gotta find another way to go," Littlefoot said.

"Would be nice to know where we are at the moment," Kairyn said as he looked up at the roof of the cave.

"Looks like a frozen cave. There's hard water everywhere, even on the floor," Littlefoot analysed as he tapped the icy walkway beneath his already numbed feet.

"There's an opening in the rocks back there. Maybe it's a way through," Cera announced signalling to the path behind them.

"But it so dark in here. How we see our way?" Petrie said as he tried to scan the darkness of the cave.

"Leave that to me," Kairyn then said triumphantly as he dipped his hand into his pocket and produced his Minicom. Deactivating the biometric password, he tapped the open screen a few times and then shut it again. A moment later, a laser blue beam shot out from the hinged end of the little machine dazzling all those who had yet to witness what the little device could do.

"Everyone ready?" Kairyn asked the group. After a few impressed mumbles, they followed Kairyn as he shone his beam of light before them and into the icy cave.

The air was chilly and damp as the group slowly shuffled their way deeper into the ice cavern. The electric blue of the torchlight coming from Kairyn's Minicom bounced and refracted off the menagerie of icy crystals that populated the inner walls of the cavern. Huge ice stalagmites littered the frozen floor whilst signalling up to their ceiling clung brethren high up overhead. The faint sound of distant dripping echoed through the narrow corridors of the naturally formed splendour that decorated the entire cavern.

"I never knew something like this existed," Littlefoot said as he watched Kairyn's light pierce through the transparent ice formations.

"The ice must have formed through the cracks in the rocks from the snow and rain from outside. It must have taken hundreds of years for this much ice to cover the entire inside of the cave though," Kairyn said as he continued to light the way. The gang, whilst admiring the spectacle of the twisted yet beautiful natural ice sculptures, followed close behind him in a single filed line.

"It so dark in here. Me no see any daylight from outside," Petrie said lowly. His nervous voice reverberating off the claustrophobic walls as he sat next to Ducky atop Spike.

"Don't worry Petrie. As long as Kairyn's got his light we'll be fine," Littlefoot said optimistically. Kairyn smiled inwardly at the comment as he glanced back at Littlefoot. Unfortunately, at that moment, Kairyn took his eyes off the path in front and his foot caught on a levitated step in the path. Unprepared for it, Kairyn toppled forwards and landed on his face, dropping the Minicom in his tumble

"Oh Kairyn! Are you all right?" Littlefoot asked having nearly trampled on him in the dark.

"Uff…yeah. Yeah, I'm okay," Kairyn replied getting to his feet, "Argh dammit!"

"What's wrong?" Littlefoot then asked.

"I dropped the Minicom! Ahh crap! Where did it go?" Kairyn scorned scanning the now darkened ground.

"Me see it! It over there!" Petrie cawed pointing ahead of them. Kairyn looked up and saw a blue glow radiating behind a tall formation. Moving over to it, Kairyn looked down at the brilliant light and realised that his Minicom was shining from inside the structure.

"What the? How'd it get in there?!" Kairyn babbled as he examined the pillar of ice. It was completely sealed up but somehow, the Minicom had managed to get inside the pillar. As the gang pulled up behind him, they began searching the icy column as well.

"How in the world did my Minicom get in there?!" Kairyn mumbled kicking the icy structure in frustration.

"So much for that amazing human thing," Cera snorted smugly.

"Glad you're laughing about it. How are gonna get out of here if we can't see our way?" Kairyn said back flatly.

"Oh! Kairyn! I can see a way inside the hard water. I can, I can!" Ducky then squeaked happily.

"Really? Where?" Kairyn asked as he crouched down to her to try and see the entrance from her position.

"There is a small hole here in the side. It must have slipped in through the hole," Ducky explained.

"Perfect," Kairyn muttered irritably, "That bloody hole's too small for my hand to fit in it."

"Can you reach it Ducky? Your hands are smaller," Littlefoot suggested.

"I will try," Ducky said as she flattened herself to the floor and reached into the hole in the side of the pillar. Try as she might, poor Ducky's little arms were not long enough to get a grip on the encaged device.

"I am sorry Kairyn but I cannot reach your glowing shell. Oh no, no, no," Ducky then sighed defeated.

"Well, thanks for trying anyway Ducky," Kairyn said kindly but his face quickly tightened up angrily again, "How are we gonna get that thing outta there?"

"My tail's too big to fit in there and so is Spike's," Littlefoot said sorrowfully.

"The battery's not gonna last forever. If the light goes out we're stuck!" Kairyn flapped. That's when Cera grumbled and barged past him.

"Out of the way human! I'll get your stupid glowing shell out," Cera muttered as she cleared Kairyn out of her path.

"And how are you gonna do that?" he asked her as Cera turned around and took a good few paces backwards.

"The Threehorn way…how else?" Cera replied as she pawed the icy ground. Before anyone could stop her, Cera shot off from her static spot and charged, head aimed low, at the base of ice column. There was a tremendous thump as Cera's head came into contact with the pillar at ramming speed. The impact rang out through the cavern as Cera backed up to ram it again. On the third attempt, Cera's efforts made a little progress.

"Cera! You cracked it!" Kairyn cried jovially.

"You did it Cera!" Littlefoot said happily but his smile quickly dropped when he glanced over at her, "Cera? Are you okay? You look a little dizzy."

"I'm…I'm okay," Cera said dismissively despite her inability to stand in one spot without wavering from side to side. Paying her no heed, Kairyn then lifted his foot and planted his heel forcefully into the large gouging crack Cera had inflicted on the structure. The crack deepened and widened as Kairyn kicked it again. After a few heavy blows, the side of the pillar shattered leaving a big enough hole for Kairyn to reach in and grab his Minicom.

"Gotcha!" Kairyn said victoriously.

"Is it okay?" Ducky asked as they all watched Kairyn open up the clam-shell and tap the screen.

"It's not damaged but there's not a huge amount of power left. There's still about forty percent left but I still suggest we find the quickest way out," Kairyn reported as he tapped the screen a few more times. With one last press, he held the little machine out in front of him as a large glowing blue sphere levitated up and out of the bottom half of the device.

"I've activated the holo-sphere so it will help us see a little more around us instead of just what's directly ahead," Kairyn said as the blue ball of light illuminated their surroundings. All of a sudden, there was a terrible cracking sound off to their side forcing them all to snap their heads in the sound's emanating direction.

"What that noise?" Petrie asked as Spike crept up closer to the group feeling very self-conscious.

"Hey…that crack Cera made looks like it has gotten bigger," Ducky said nervously. Leaning the holo-sphere closer to the battered base of the ice column, Kairyn examined the running crack that appeared to have stealthily snaked its way up towards the ceiling of the cavern without their knowing.

"Ohh that can't be good…" Kairyn breathed forebodingly as he traced the path of the crack all the way up the length of the pillar. The crack branched out sideways along its ascent towards the roof of the cave. Glancing anxiously over to Littlefoot, Kairyn then gasped as a large chunk of ice plummeted from out of nowhere and smashed down directly between them. Suddenly, the whole cavern around them seemed to shake and tremble.

"RRUUUNNN!!!" Littlefoot yelled. The gang all turned tail and fled down their route just as the pillar of ice shattered like a fragile pane of glass and collapsed down to the ground bring everything it was connected to with it. Giant spears of ice clattered to the ground as the hanging stalactites were dislodged from their perches to tumble down on the fleeing group. Kairyn did his best to lead the way with the holo-sphere whilst desperately trying to dodge the rainstorm of icicles attempting to impale them from overhead. Littlefoot skidded to a hurried halt as one monstrous stalactite crashed just in front of him forcing Spike to slide into his back. Cera slid around Littlefoot and Spike's pile-up and continued to chase after Kairyn who was trying his hardest to navigate a way through the barrage; as well as find a way out.

"Where are we going?!" Cera shouted over the crashing of the cave-in.

"Haven't thought that far ahead…" Kairyn replied having hurdled one icicle that toppled in front of him.

"Kairyn! Look out!" Ducky's voice then shot out from behind. Kairyn, bewildered by the scream, suddenly looked up to see a large section of the ceiling peel away and drop directly down on him. Despite running on, he was too shocked by the massive lump of rock and ice to make any lateral movement. Suddenly, Kairyn was rammed violently to one side by Cera just as the huge landmass collided with the ground. Unprepared for either action, Kairyn stumbled with the rescuing hit allowing the Minicom to launch itself skywards from his slackened grip.

"No! The Minicom!" Kairyn yelled as he floundered a clumsy snatch at it. As it flipped over in the air, Kairyn saw something zoom past and pluck the device out of the air.

"Me got it!" Petrie called. He had somehow managed to catch the Minicom with his feet by the hinge of the clam-shell so the glowing holo-sphere was now shining down on them like an electric-blue lightbulb.

"Well done Petrie! Light the way will ya!" Kairyn beamed. Petrie nodded as he shot off ahead of them to illuminate their escape route. The tidal wave of the collapsing ceiling was still giving chase but the gang suddenly found that the ground they were running on was becoming much warmer to the touch.

"Look! There is no hard water here!" Ducky cried.

"We must be coming down through the mountain and away from the top!" Littlefoot panted as he ran on.

"Yeah! But that's not stopping all that falling rock from trying to crush us!" Cera argued.

"Me see a light! Light just ahead!" Petrie cawed over the terrible rumbling rattling around them.

"Thank God! We're almost out!" Kairyn sighed hoarsely. A glaring white light could be seen beaming out to them a few hundred metres ahead, coaxing them to head towards it. Suddenly, Petrie yelled out a warning.

"Watch out guys! Hole in ground!" he cried as he hit and aerial halt and hovered the bluish aura of the Minicom over a large gaping chasm scored directly across their path.

"Everybody jump!" Littlefoot shouted as he took the first bounding leap over the chasm. He landed safely on the other side as he turned back to the others. Just beyond them, a little ways back, the crashing wave of falling rock was still threatening to bury them all.

"C'mon Spike! Jump!" he called.

"Go Spike! Go, go, go!" Ducky urged as she hugged his neck tighter. With one last step, the hefty stegosaurus leapt as best his could and landed gracelessly on the other side.

"Cera! Kairyn! C'mon!" Littlefoot hollered back once Spike touched down on his side safely.

"Falling rocks getting close!" Petrie cried. Kairyn and Cera both took their leaps at the same time and both landed on the other side. Just as they were all about to kick off and head for the exit, Cera felt the ground beneath her give way. She let out a scream as her back end dropped into the black yawning chasm.

"CERA!" Kairyn screamed as he instinctively turned back to see the young triceratops dangling half off the edge. Running back to her and grabbing her forelegs, Kairyn grunted and strained as he pulled with all his strength to get her up onto solid ground. Finding terra firma once again, Kairyn and Cera locked eyes for a second before shooting off down the path to catch the others. Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie and Spike had all paused to witness Kairyn's rescue but quickly sprinted onwards when they saw the pair of them heading towards them. The closing few metres of their desperate dash were hair-raisingly close as all six of them launched themselves out into the evening air just as the last remaining stretch of the cavern collapsed in behind them, sealing the route through the mountain for good.

All thoroughly exhausted, everyone dropped limply to the floor as they tried to recover their spent stamina. They all looked back at the destroyed cave exit, all hardly able to believe they had just sprinted the length of the dark cavern to barely escape out the other side.

"Phew! That was a close one!" Littlefoot wheezed finally standing having recovered enough energy to rework his fatigued legs.

"Just another one to add to the scoreboard for you guys eh?" Kairyn joked as he sat up from being eagle-spread on the dirty ground, "How do you guys cope with all this crap all the time?!"

"Ohh…we do not have to do it all of the time. Oh no, no, no," Ducky grinned as she fanned Spike's hot and flustered face.

"Nah…but we pretty good at getting outta trouble just in time," Petrie added smirking. He crawled over the Kairyn with the Minicom in his possession and dropped it next to Kairyn's seated position. Kairyn thanked him as he snapped the computer shut and replaced it in his pocket.

"Oh, and Cera…" he then said glancing over to the threehorn who was still recovering lost breath. She looked over to him silently.

"Thanks by the way," he finished. Cera froze for a second as if to try to comprehend what Kairyn would be thanking her for. But she quickly nodded and offered a thanks of her own.

"I guess I owe you thanks too," she said. Even though it sounded a little forced, Kairyn still detected a volume of sincerity to her voice. He could tell, just as Littlefoot said, he'd have to warm up to Cera before she'd accept him properly. Having checked each other over, the gang all huddled together and scanned their new environment. The evening air was cool but pleasant, much more bearable than the nipping air of the mountain summits, with a dark shade of indigo crowning a blazing crimson horizon. The sun was almost completely set behind the mountains surroundings them as the night began rolling in.

"Hey guys? Does this place…look…kinda familiar to you?" Littlefoot then said as he surveyed the deep rocky crevices and high mountain ring encircling them.

"No…why?" Cera said tonelessly.

"It does not look familiar to me either. Oh no, no, no," Ducky agreed.

"Why you say that Littlefoot?" Petrie asked as he landed on his head as he scanned left and right and back again.

"I dunno…this all seems…like we've been here before…" Littlefoot said thoughtfully.

"Littlefoot, we've been out in the Mysterious Beyond lots of times. Some places are bound to look the same," Cera said standing next to him. Littlefoot wasn't convinced. The more he looked across the barren landscape that sported only a single crooked tree next to a short cliff edge, the more his brain burned at the thought that he'd seen this patch of land before.

"I do not know if we know this place or not, but I am very tired now. I am," Ducky said yawning.

"Come to think of it, all that death-defying running has knackered me out too," Kairyn agreed as his muscles suddenly slackened from clear overuse.

"Well, maybe we can just rest here for the night," Littlefoot suggested, "Look, there is a small tree over there. We can get some green food and then settle down." Relieved to finally have a moment's respite, the gang all began to relax for the first time all day. Climbing on one another's backs, they managed to pull a healthy percentage of foliage off the small tree and, with a little coaxing and a certifying diagnostic scan from his Minicom, Kairyn joined in the vegetarian meal of leaves and fruit before they all settled down in a shallow pit under the crooked tree. With their bodies battered and weary, it didn't take long for the huddled group to all fall fast asleep under the brilliant starry skies in the company of an assortment of insects that nested in the tree's twisted, leafless branches. Even Kairyn, who was still tormented by the thoughts of his recently deceased father, slept soundly tucked snugly between Littlefoot's chest and Spike's rump.

Dawn broke early the next morning with the first rays of the sunlight slowly starting to creep their way over the burly shoulders of the surrounding mountains. The gang were still sound asleep as the warmth of the new day fell on them as they slept. The peaceful air was suddenly broken by a low guttering growl that snapped Cera out of her slumber. Suddenly bolt awake, Cera snapped her head back and forth as another growl sounded in the distance. This time it was louder. Cera gasped as she saw what was causing the disturbance.

"Wake up…wake up!" she mumbled to the sleeping others. Apart from a few grunts and snorts of heavy breathing, no one moved. Impatient, Cera dipped her head and dug her nose horn into the back of Littlefoot's head who happened to be closest.

"WAKE UP!" she ordered nervously still jabbing at the dozing longneck. Littlefoot sniffled and blinked a few times as his sleep pattern was disturbed.

"Oww hey! Cera?! What are you doing?" Littlefoot muttered, looking over at her still half asleep.

"I hear a sharptooth…" she said lowly looking very ashen-faced. The words didn't process immediately as Littlefoot rolled over to face Cera properly.

"A what?" Littlefoot asked again, still blinking through the bright haze of the morning light that burned his unadjusted eyes.

"A sharptooth!" she repeated a little louder. Littlefoot was still unfocused and decided to shrug Cera off. As his head touched the ground again, Cera then yelled out at the top of her voice.

"A SHARPTOOTH! EVERYONE! HE'S COMING! RUN!"

There was no ignoring her this time. Spike gasped and snapped his eyes open forcing Ducky and Petrie to roll off his now upturned belly, waking them up also. Kairyn, finding his fleshy pillow no longer under his head, toppled backwards and jolted him awake.

"What the hell's going on?!" he babbled, "Hey! Where's Cera jetting off to?"

"Cera! Wait! Come back!" Littlefoot yelled after Cera who had shot out of the little pit and out into the open space.

"Uhh…Littlefoot?" Kairyn then said worryingly as a long shadow stretched over them. Littlefoot snapped his head around and gasped as he saw a giant set of jagged teeth glimmering down on them all. Without need for instruction, everyone leapt out of the pit just as a massive clawed foot landed square in the middle of their sleeping pit, leaving a perfect indentation of its huge appendage in the sandy soil.

"Where we go?!" Petrie cried in fright still startled by the false start.

"That way, through the rocks!" Littlefoot ordered as he spied a small hole through the high wall in the ring of mountains. The gang all shot off towards the hole in the wall as the terrifying beast gave chase yet again.

"It's him again!" Kairyn screamed as they sprinted for their escape route.

"Don't look back! Keep going!" Littlefoot yelled to them all as they came to the hole. The sharptooth, sporting a thick scar down the length of the front of its muzzle, made a quick dashing lunge at them as they all past through the hole. The force of the diving attack shoved them all through the gap in the mountain and out the other side, leaving them all to bounce and tumble down the pebble covered slope.

Having controlled their mad rolls, the gang all stood up and looked back to the hole where the roaring T-Rex was trying to push its way through the gap, snapping wildly. It was far too small and, for yet another occasion, the beast grumbled and turned away empty-handed.

"Why didn't you believe me that there was a sharptooth coming?!" Cera barked still slightly breathless.

"I'm sorry…we're safe now," Littlefoot mumbled sounding somewhat embarrassed. In amongst his racing thoughts, he was also having a horrible sense of déjà vu. Cera just muttered to herself and turned to head off. Littlefoot then felt that surge of reoccurrence hit him again. This time, even harder than before.

"Hey guys…doesn't this all seem like…I dunno…like this has all happened before? Like we've been here before?" he asked the group as they began following Cera.

"Not this again," Cera grumbled as she stopped and turned back to him.

"I'm serious guys! I really feel like we've all done this already. Like…we're living a moment over again," Littlefoot beseeched.

"What? Like déjà vu? When you think you are replaying a moment in your life you think has happened before?" Kairyn asked.

"Yeah, that!" Littlefoot piped.

"Now that you mention it. That hole in the wall does look like one I have seen before a long time ago. When I was much littler-er," Ducky then said as she rescanned the hole they had just escaped through.

"Ducky right. Me 'member something like that too. Me 'member being chased through it too. And that funny looking rock over there. That do look familiar," Petrie said pointing to an odd rock formation just to their right hand side. The group all reformed at the base of the strange rock that looked severely weathered and carved by the elements.

"Huh…funny. Kinda looks like a brontosaurus looking at it from the side," Kairyn said tilting his head to one side.

"A what?" Cera asked. Even she was getting hints of mental flashbacks about the ground they were standing on and the rock they were now looking at.

"A brontosaurus…oh, I mean…like Littlefoot…a longneck," Kairyn corrected. Suddenly, Littlefoot inhaled sharply at Kairyn's observation. The realisation hit him like a concussive blow to the head.

"Guys! Don't you see what this rock is?" he gaped with a beaming smile.

"A longneck shaped rock?" Kairyn said naively.

"Not just any longneck shaped rock! It's THE rock!" Littlefoot said excitedly.

"The Rock that Looks like a Longneck…I can't believe it!" Cera breathed airily.

"Oh yes, yes, yes! It IS the Rock that Looks like a Longneck!" Ducky cried jovially making Spike dance and hum merrily.

"Me no believe it still here!" Petrie cawed.

"And that spot, under the tree back there…that was where we all slept for the first night, remember?" Littlefoot added making the others all nod.

"Erm…guys? Wanna fill me in here?" Kairyn then said waving in Littlefoot's face, "What's the big deal with this 'Longneck Rock'?"

"This is the first waypoint marker we used on our first trip ever to the Great Valley! When we all got together after getting separated from our families in the Great Earthshake!" Littlefoot explained ecstatically.

"So…you finally know which way to go to get back to your homeland?" Kairyn asked hopefully.

"Not perfectly coz we've only ever done this trip once from so far out. But we do know whereabouts to go," Cera added smiling from ear to ear.

"Good enough for me! So where to next?" Kairyn asked.

"We just follow the Bright Circle to where it touches the ground. We have to go past the 'Mountains that Burn'. The Valley's not far after that!" Littlefoot said. Some of his first memories of travelling to the Great Valley had suddenly started flooding back.

"That sounds horribly treacherous but hey, at least we have a heading. Let's go!" Kairyn said waving them on.

"YEAH!" all the dinosaur kids chanted happily. Finally with a bearing, the group left in high spirits to seek out their beloved Great Valley. Having walked this path before on their first ever adventure, their trek was still a perilous one. Only this time, they walked their path with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia.


	23. The Assets of the Company

Chapter 22: The Assets of the Company

The Keltech Building was still in a pandemic state. Security teams were still rushing around the ill-fated 203rd floor of the monstrous skyscraper trying to restore a sense of normality. Bodies of the recently deceased scientists still littered a number of the sterile laboratories; their cause of death still a despicably cruel mystery. Captain Schneider, bitter and aggravated by the foul turn of events the evening had displayed, strolled a few paces behind Director Nigel Thorne who seemed unfittingly merry at the idea of an intruder infiltrating their premises; the only other evident anomaly found in amongst the chaos and the dead workers. Taking a sharp left at a T-junction, Thorne and Schneider both stopped outside a set of large metallic double doors that led into the conference room where the intruder was waiting. The doors spilt down the middle and pulled apart as they approached. In contrast to the sterile and bland, bleached-white corridors, the conference room was immaculately decorated with a royal crimson and gold trimmed theme accented by stainless steel cabinets and furniture positioned around the large vicinity. The high ceiling supported an inverted fountain chandelier of no less than twenty crystallised white orbs resembling entrapped stars plucked fresh out of the night sky. Their brilliance spilled into the room ensuring that no corner was left unlit. The centre table was a fifteen-foot long modern art piece of twisted metal with an icy-blue tinted glass top surface cut into a perfect ellipse rimmed by a collection of high back executive swivelling chairs of leather lined chrome. The furthest wall at the front end of the room sported a huge viewing screen that was undoubtedly used for international communication as well as other display mediums. Schneider stepped into the room behind Thorne and his tactical mind instantly scanned and analysed the room in a blink. He saw the 'intruder' sat at the far end of the oval table, one jet black leg looped over the other and stooped back in his chair looking completely unfazed by his capture. He appeared to talking to someone.

"TAYLOR!" Schneider bellowed when he realised that only one guard was standing at the door. Tyronne shot bolt upright at the strong yell and snapped to attention towards his captain as he marched towards him.

"Vot the HELL do you vink you're doing?!" Schneider growled, his eyeballs bulged to a worryingly sickening size as he glared down on his defiant member. Tyronne's voice was lost in his own stupor and babbling thoughts but to his surprise, the strange creature sat at the top end of the table answered in his stead.

"Do not be so harsh with the boy. I was merely engaging him in some small talk. You did take your time getting here you know," Zeiger said coolly. Schneider snapped his fiery gaze from Tyronne and over to the cloak draped stranger and refocused his anger on his next target.

"Be aware that you are a detainee held for zee investigation of the murders that 'ave occurred here tonight! This is not a gracious invitation to discuss trivial matters! Once zees little chat is over, you vill vind yourself vit me and my investigation team so enjoy zee hospitality vile it lasts because mine vill not be so pleasurable!"

"I suspect not but still, until that time comes, I intend to enjoy my given company," Zeiger replied sounding completely unintimidated. Schneider then snapped his head back to Tyronne who flinched at the jerking movement.

"Have you carried out security searches?!" he growled.

"Y-yes sir. Nothing found sir," Tyronne stammered.

"Good. And if I vind you conversing with this detainee again Taylor, I vill make sure that your punishment vill inflict a lesson zat you von't soon forget. Is zat clear?" Schneider guttered lowly, his flaring nostrils mere centimetres from the bridge of Tyronne's own nose.

"Y-yes sir…" Tyronne whimpered.

"Good. Now go stand at your post!" Schneider bellowed grabbing Tyronne by the chest of his uniform and throwing him towards the door. Tyronne yelped as he stumbled backwards and crashed into one of the executive chairs. Recomposing himself as quickly as he could, Tyronne snatched up his rifle and sprinted to stand next to the other guard stood to attention by the conference room's exit. Visibly shaken, Tyronne stood up as tall as he could but he couldn't mask the fact that his legs where trembling beneath him. From his seat, Zeiger eyed the quivering young man beguiled. Something tragic about that one lad intrigued him; he could almost smell it off him and it brought a sly grin to his face.

"So…Mr Zeiger," Thorne's soothing American accent glided in interjectionally as he slipped into the nearest seat next to his visitor, "you say you are a descendant of a long lost tribe?"

"That is correct," Zeiger began, his tone calm as he enveloped, "the Siax were a proud race that are said to have come to this planet from beyond the stars of this solar system. Human records do not recall such an event nor do they document any Siax activity. Their origin is unknown and there has been no discovery about their civilisation. That is, until recently."

"How recently?" Thorne probed.

"Say within the last 350 years. I don't know the exact date myself," Zeiger said flatly.

"350 years ago? That would put our time period back into the Anno Domini years; not long before the New Era suffix was established," Thorne said, "May I ask, what was it that was discovered?"

"It was recorded as a jewel of unknown substance but it carried the traits of what humans call a ruby. An archaeological team discovered it somewhere in the Andes and believed it to be of Mayan origin. Reports later confirmed that this 'jewel' actually predated back to a period of time before humans' ruling…what you'd call…dinosaurs…"

"Nonsense! A gemstone zat survived in von whole piece zince the time of prehistoric lizards?!" Schneider scorned dropping down into the seat next down from Thorne.

"I suppose, to a lesser being, the concept would seem implausible," Zeiger said monotonically.

"You mean _impossible_!" Schneider bantered.

"Captain, please," Thorne hushed the huge man before turning back to Zeiger, "Scepticism aside, what does this signify for you as a descendant?"

"A mere souvenir of my ancestors," Zeiger replied matter-of-factly, "That jewel is one of a set of four. A physical symbolism of the Siax. It holds the keys to unlocking the mysteries of this once great tribe and the power they once wielded. Nothing is said of what became of the Siax which in turn lead for the jewels to fall into obscurity without anyone any the wiser to the civilisation's existence nor its demise." Thorne sat forward, up out of his seat, and leaned closer to the cloaked figure whom he found of great interest.

"What exactly can these jewels do?" he asked slowly and carefully. He held his breath so that he could pick up every word of Zeiger's next sentence perfectly and without interference.

"That is a factor even I do not know. As it pains me to admit, only a select few throughout these brief 350 years have any prior knowledge on what these jewels can actually do. There are documented cases on use and experimentations of the ruby that was discovered in the Andes but these where apparently lost in the Great Fire of the World of early 2100AD."

"So all your leads have run cold…a pity for you," Schneider muttered.

"So you'd think. I am a descendant of the Siax and there is more to me than you know or could ever hope to understand. I still do have one other lead to follow."

"The man you said you were looking for…Ghost?" Thorne attempted.

"The Black Ghost yes. That is his most common alias. He does go by others depending on where he has struck but most know him by that name. Some moreso than others…" Zeiger said slurring. He leaned forward and glanced over at Tyronne standing next to the door. His sharp teeth flashed for a moment when he caught Tyronne's eye twitch over towards him for less than a second.

"What does this 'Black Ghost' want with these jewels?" Thorne continued to probe.

"His intentions are unknown but I fear it will be something of vast detriment; to your world and to our ancestry. The jewel can only be utilised by a select few. No one knows of what qualities these jewel bearers must possess but it seems that the Black Ghost has the potential to sniff out these chosen few. That is what we need him for. As you have witnessed, he has since gone rogue and, well…you have seen the extent he will go to ensure that his motives are not discovered," Zeiger said falling back into his seat leaving it to the last second before breaking eye contact with Tyronne who risked a second glance over towards the conversing trio.

"You expect us to believe this fabrication?!" Schneider suddenly erupted stealing everyone's attention as he leapt out of his seat, "Many of zees company's employees are dead und you pass blame to a vigment of imagination ven you stand proud and tall in zee hallway and attack us?!"

"I assure you it's no fabrication. The Black Ghost is responsible for your losses tonight. I only regret that I was not here within good time to stop him from carrying out his murderous deeds," Zeiger replied still unwavered by the power and bass of the captain's booming voice.

"BULL--" the captain was about to shout but another voice cried out from the opposite end of the room.

"He's right!" Tyronne yelled.

"Taylor!" Schneider snapped, his tone armed to pull authority.

"It WAS the Black Ghost! He murdered my father AND my little brother! Kairyn said it himself before he died!" Taylor screamed. He couldn't place where his courage was coming from but it was rivalling even the mighty temper of the flaring captain who was ordering him to be silent.

"That bastard friend of yours killed them! And he's going to pay for what he did! I'm going to see to that!" Tyronne bellowed defiantly.

"TAYLOR! ZAT'S ENOUGH! DISMISSED! GET DA HELL OUT OF HERE!" Schneider exploded, his eyes were glaring and his face was flushed red with rage. Tyronne, unable to withstand the tension, snatched up his rifle and bolted out of the door.

The captain slumped down in his chair somewhat exhausted. His rubbed his face vigorously, feeling the heat of it on the palm of his hand as he mumbled to himself.

"Well, if we are all composed," Thorne said with a calming sigh, "Now, in terms of our collaboration…"

"Collaboration?!" Schneider piped up again, "Director, are you…"

"Quiet Captain! That's enough outbursts from you!" Thorne suddenly thundered. Schneider, who was half out of his seat, quickly dropped back into it and growl lowly.

"It's alright Director. I understand that you and your team are very much on edge regarding what's occurred tonight," Zeiger continued in his cool dry tone, "I propose that, in helping me obtain what I am searching for, I can grant you all that you desire in terms of dark matter and its properties. As if by some strange twist of fate, our paths appear to run somewhat parallel."

"Yes. It appears fate has some amount of humour to it," Thorne said laughing lightly, "The dark matter will be…" At that moment, Zeiger raised his right hand up, pulled into a fist. Schneider was edgy to reach for his firearm but Thorne stood up in front of him blocking the shot. Finger by elongated finger, Zeiger unfurled his fist and a small wispy ball of deep purple enshrouded with black mist congregated and floated a quarter of an inch above his palm.

"I will gladly part with some dark matter as a token of my appreciation for your time and hospitality," Zeiger offered. Thorne shooed the remaining guard out to retrieve one of the scientist. Thirty seconds later, a short, skinny elderly scientist came waddling in with the guard holding a large round-ended metal cylinder with a large glass panel in the centre; the rest was striped with black and yellow diagonal lines as means to mark a hazardous material.

"Ahh, Professor Clements. Glad to see you finally venturing from your laboratory," Thorne said as welcomingly as he could. The professor said nothing. He merely eyed the strange creature sitting in the chair, his expression oddly blank.

"Don't be alarmed Professor Clements. This is Zeiger. He is helping us with our research project by donating some of the valuable dark matter material that was lost earlier," Thorne explained. Clements still remained mute as he set the oversize pill capsule down on its end which was held in place by a hovering tripod unit. Clements opened the capsule and Zeiger passed the floating purplish ball into the metal container where Clements then sealed it.

"Thank you Mr Zeiger," Thorne said somewhat darkly. Zeiger dipped his head respectfully and smiled.

"Now, with that business out of the way. I will take my leave and…"

"You are not going any-vhere!" Schneider bellowed as he stepped past Thorne, grateful for finally getting his chance to apprehend his target, "You are under arrest! You are coming vit me!"

"After all my co-operation? You are going to arrest me?" Zeiger asked as he allowed Schneider to snatch his wrists, spin him around and shackle him with handcuffs.

"I do apologise for the rough treatment Mr Zeiger but we still have the matter of our fallen colleagues to discuss. Black Ghost or no, this must be investigated and you are our only accountable suspect," Thorne said as he headed towards the exit behind Professor Clements. Schneider shoved Zeiger violently in the back to get him to walk forwards.

"You humans are all the same…" he then said chuckling, "Always asserting your authority and superiority even when you don't fully understand something that is bigger than you."

"Shut it freak!" Schneider snapped shoving Zeiger forwards again. However, Schneider failed to notice Zeiger's eyes fog over with a hazy red mist. Using the stumble as a mask to crouch, Zeiger suddenly leapt up and back flipped over Schneider's head. With no time to react, Schneider felt the shackles of his detainee close around his throat as Zeiger dropped behind him and clasped the captain in a choking headlock. The commotion caused the other three men to turn back to where the captain was being restrained.

"I knew this is exactly how'd you respond. Greedy pathetic creatures," Zeiger scowled, "I could kill you all this second but that wouldn't be very sporting of me now would it?"

"Let him go Zeiger!" Thorne shouted to him as he saw Schneider arched over and writhing in the creature's clutches.

"Oh don't worry. I have no intention of slaughtering this meat sack, as easy as it would be. You all have your parts to play," Zeiger said dangerously but smirked all the while, "I will get what I set out to do. Don't you worry about that." At that moment, a large number of guards stormed into the room and stood in front of the director and Professor Clements. Their guns raised and primed to fire.

"Give it up Zeiger! You've got nowhere to go!" Thorne's voice shouted out from somewhere in the crowd.

"Ahh, but there is always a way! Besides, twenty armed guards aren't going to alter the odds in your favour anyway," Zeiger said before laughing out loud maniacally. With his wrists still pressed onto Schneider's throat, Zeiger spun underneath the captain's arched back and once he was upright again, he lifted his cuffed hands and shoved them violently into the small of Schneider's back. The captain was catapulted towards the rows of armed guards and tumbled into the first row of them all. With a roaring grunt, Zeiger pulled his wrists apart shattering the handcuffs like brittle china.

"Shoot to kill! Fire! FIRE!!" the captain managed to cough through his slowly expanding windpipe. The room flickered with bursts of light and machine gun fire as the staggered rows cemented their triggers down. Bullets tore through the air decimating everything they struck. Zeiger, upon hearing the order to fire, draw his right arm up in front of his face as if to draw a sword from an invisible sheath on his waist. A dark crimson flame shot down from his arcing hand as a thick dark blade materialised in front of him. Swinging the sword in lightning fast slices, Zeiger ricocheted the bullets marked for their target away from him and back towards the firing squad. A number of the guards yelped in pain as the reflected bullets struck them.

"Impossible!" Schneider breathed as he watched the mysterious entity's sword cut through the air and deflected every bullet that was due to score a hit. The sword seemed to multiply before his eyes as Zeiger twirled it in the air like a giant black baton at supersonic speed. Taking one last wide swing, Zeiger then threw out his left hand towards the crowd and a huge blasting force bowled them all over. With the cluttering of the rifles now silenced, Zeiger then spoke.

"You think you have won me over but I will have the last laugh yet. And what makes the situation even sweeter is the very fact that you fools will be the ones to help me, even if you don't realise it." Laughing down on his audience, Zeiger's body, all of a sudden, became engulfed in a deep black and crimson, hellish flame. After a few flickers of the bizarre fire, it disappeared taking Zeiger with it.

As every downed body picked itself up, Captain Schneider gave orders for the wounded to be treated before he found Director Thorne and Professor Clements slipping out the doorway.

"Vell I hope you're happy Nigel! Our only lead to our investigation has escaped, more of our vorkers have been injured and all we 'ave to show vor our efforts is a glass tube filled vit some noxious purple gas!"

"I am happy Schneider…very happy in fact," Thorne said coolly as he brushed his suit down and adjusted his floating blue-tinted glasses. The captain was dumbstruck by this response.

"Vot da hell are talking about?! We just lost our only lead to finding out vot happened here! How can you be damn jovial!"

"My dear captain, once we confirm this sample is the real thing, we are going to be making the biggest discovery of the New Era," Thorne said smiling.

"How can you be thinking about projects now! People have died tonight for God sake!"

"And they won't have died in vain if this latest project succeeds. Their sacrifices will help us in our endeavour to ensure that mankind remains the dominant species for millennia to come. This Zeiger fellow has his powers which are undoubtedly impressive yet he underestimates us. He has not seen what power we can wield," Thorne said as he, Clements and Schneider all stopped outside of Clements' lab as the scientist entered the code to access the room.

"And what power is that?" Schneider asked irritably. He was not in the mood for puzzles.

"Knowledge of course…" Thorne replied as he followed Clements inside. Schneider looked at him peculiarly.

"Knowledge?"

"Yes captain. Remember when Zeiger said that he did not know of those given dates and documentations of the first experiments on that ruby discovered in the Andes in the 2100s?"

"That nonsense about a jewel dating back to the dinosaur age?"

"I assure you it is not nonsense Captain Schneider. Because…we have every last page of that documentation. We know of the very jewels Zeiger spoke of." The captain remained silent for a moment.

"So…That experiment with the new travelling technology? Captain Clifford's covert operation? And the specimen that Clifford's team brought back? That was all…"

"All information retrieved and analysed from a database of a company dating back over 300 years. Captain Clifford's team confirmed our initial findings and validated all intel. The jewels were called "The Stones of Essence" and were used in something called "Project Red Phoenix". These are the jewels that Zeiger spoke of and that specimen Captain Clifford's team brought back was one of the stone carriers."

"The technology we used is based off a design plan drawn up for a 'dimensional warp way' through time's spectrum. They called it the 'Chronos Doorway'. They used the Stones of Essence to power it but it was unstable and unreliable. Ours however is much more efficient and uses the energy emitted by dark matter which we've found to be duplicable," Professor Clements finally spoke clearly finding an interest in the conversation.

"Professor Clements? You were in on this too?" Schneider asked in surprise.

"As was Stephen Taylor. That's what all the hullabaloo was about in the corridor before they all started dying; the poor souls," the aging professor sighed, "It proved that our version of the Doorway worked and could safely transport living subjects to and from the alternative world at will rather than by chance. The logistics are still undiscovered but we were just grateful that they didn't come back as anything less than human. But we hit a crisis when the intruder alert sounded."

"The canisters in the cryogen room contained our last remaining source of dark matter. When you reported that those containers were destroyed, we feared that all would have been for nought. Thankfully, that intruder you sought to detain captain replenished our dwindled stock," Thorne said clapping his hands together happily, "With this new batch of dark matter we can now reactivate the Doorway and look for those stones. Zeiger remains smugly unaware that we are already one step ahead of him." Director Thorne then turned to head for the door.

"Professor Clements. Run all necessary diagnostics on the sample and report the results back to me once they have been confirmed. It's about time we put our project into working order. We can send our scout out as soon as it's all green lit."

"Yes Director," the old scientist say as he started fidgeting around his laboratory.

"Captain Schneider…" Thorne then said as he started for the door.

"Director?"

"Continue with the clean-up operations and report to my room once you are done. I think a title promotion needs to come your way if you are going to lead our operation," Thorne said with a thin lipped smile.

"Operation sir?" Schneider asked curiously.

"Yes Captain…once all is green lit, we will be heading in the new world after our scout. I trust you will be ready."

"Sir!" Schneider nodded back. Director Thorne smiled and turned back to lab door which slid open and closed behind him.


	24. Prehistoric Pyrotechnics

Chapter 23: Prehistoric Pyrotechnics

Given their rude awakening by their obsessive stalking T-Rex in the dawn breaking hours of the morning, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike found their spirits somewhat lifted at the idea of walking a track once trodden by their own feet when they first set out to find the Great Valley. The wave of nostalgia ebbed from each one of them as their light-footed gait led them through the deep canyons paths and towering mountain walkways where every rock face sparked a rushing memory of their maiden voyage which ultimately brought them together.

"'Member when we up by that tiny waterfall looking for green food? And when me and Ducky on Littlefoot's head?" Petrie said trying to stifle a laugh from bursting out.

"Oh yep, yep, yep! And when I fall-ed off we both fall-ed into that tiny river and you said you smelled me," Ducky joined in, unable to control a fit of her own girlish giggles.

"Yeah! What was that name you used to have for Littlefoot Petrie coz you couldn't remember his real name?" Cera jabbed in smirking from ear to ear.

"You mean 'Flathead'?" Petrie revealed prompting the pair of them to erupt into laughter.

"You mean right before we found you Cera RUNNING and SCREAMING like a scaredy egg about being chased by a sharptooth?" Littlefoot retorted with a devilish smirk.

"Which we ended up running into later! You were lucky I found you to tell you all about that stupid sharptooth otherwise you all would've been eaten alive!" Cera quickly shot back.

"What about when Cera jump on that flat log and throw Ducky into the air?" Petrie piped in, "Me no believe a swimmer could fly till me see Ducky go that high!"

"Hey! I said I was sorry about that! Besides, she shouldn't have been standing there in the first place; then it wouldn't have happened!" Cera barked back.

"Well it was a good thing that that DID happen. Otherwise we may not have find-ed Spike's egg in that tall grass. No, no, no," Ducky chirped. Spike hummed happily as he glanced up and back at his sister to which Ducky responded by patting him lovingly on the back of his inverted head.

Kairyn was trailing at the back of the travelling pack as the five dinosaurs playfully bickered and bantered with each other in amongst their fits of laughter. He smiled inwardly as he watched them reminisce their first adventure together. He could tell that there was an inseparable bond between them all. One that had been tried and tested and remained adamant and strong throughout their young lives. He almost envied them. He never had that kind of bond with anyone which lead him to think of himself as some sort of social outcast. Even his friend Christopher was in a league above him in terms of his schooling and musical talent. Kairyn felt he had nothing like that and always silently feared that he was soon going to be left behind and forgotten. Family life was never any better. Their mother never seemed to pay him any mind except when to scold him for something he had (or sometimes _hadn't_) done. Tyronne was always the talk of the family since gaining his placement at Keltech and going to the training academy. He was pretty much a soldier to a private army working for Keltech; the biggest company known to mankind. A glorious title fixed to the company thanks to the works of his late father. Again, another figure he felt he barely got to know. Professor Taylor was always away for long haul projects and barely spent any time with Kairyn as he was growing up. And now he was gone. Killed by a faceless entity. The only thing he had to remember him by was the strange triangular yellow stone that sat cold and heavy in his pocket.

"_Promise me…promise me you will help me uncover the secrets of this stone…_" his father's voice whispered in his ears.

"But what's it for…what does it do?" Kairyn asked the voice. The voice didn't reply but its wispy message continued to plague his thoughts. What was so special about this stone? What's its purpose? And why did his father entrust it to him? As Kairyn dipped his hand into his pocket and held the bright stone out in his palm, suddenly, Kairyn felt very alone. The weight of everything that had occurred up until now had instantly fallen upon him. He felt weakened by it all; the overwhelming confusion of multiple questions without answers.

"What am I suppose to do? I don't understand anything…" Kairyn mumbled to himself.

"You okay Kairyn?" a voice then popping into his ears. Kairyn suddenly looked up as if he'd woken from a dream. He found Littlefoot's warm eyes staring straight at him.

"You suddenly stopped for some reason. We almost carried on without you," Littlefoot said smiling.

"Oh right, sorry. I was just…daydreaming. Didn't mean to slow you down," Kairyn said, quickly stuffing the yellow stone back into his pocket.

"That stone…the one your father gave you right?" Littlefoot asked.

"Y-yeah…still don't have a clue what it's for or how to use it. You said that it had magic powers or something didn't you?" Kairyn asked.

"Yeah, I guess. I can't really explain how but, the blue stone I had helped us when we fought against the Red Phoenix," Littlefoot explained.

"So, you could use one of these?" Kairyn then asked hopefully, reaching into this pocket to withdraw the stone again but Littlefoot shook his head.

"I could only use the blue stone I had. And even if I did have it, I still wouldn't know how to use it. It kinda just…happened when I needed it." Kairyn dipped his eyes disappointedly, released his grip on the yellow gemstone and sighed as he felt it slump back into his pocket. Then, another thought crept to mind.

"You said you could use a _blue_ stone. But, when we spent the night in that cave in the mountains, you said you had a _red_ stone on a gold chain?"

"I did. That was Jason's magic stone. We swapped our stones on the day he left to go back to the human world," Littlefoot said but his voice suddenly dropped to a guilty tone, "But I still can't believe I lost it."

"I'm sure it will turn up somewhere. You'll never lose something that precious for too long," Kairyn then said optimistically. Littlefoot smiled.

"Just wish I knew how to use this one I've got. Maybe it could help us get to your home faster," Kairyn said slapping his thigh where the stone sat.

"Maybe it hasn't woken up yet," Littlefoot said.

"What? Hasn't woken up yet?" Kairyn asked peculiarly.

"Yeah. Whenever one of us had one of those magic stones, we all had a similar sleep story about a glowing white longneck in a dark place with glowing waterfalls," Littlefoot explained. Kairyn eyed him strangely, "A sleep story? You mean a dream?"

"Yeah. In my sleep stories, I saw each one of those who had one of the stones. A shadow with a glowing heart and a human all in white who could do magic with a long stick. I think those were meant to be Jason and Jill. But those sleep stories all happened before I met them. And they had a sleep story about me. I have to say, I haven't had any more sleep stories like it since I found out that Jill and Jason had a stone each."

"Nothing huh?" Kairyn sighed as he glanced down, feeling the stone as a dead weight against his leg.

"Maybe it's not time yet. When the time comes then the stone's power will come alive. It did for us when we needed it," Littlefoot said trying to sound more spirited.

"Yeah…but I almost fear what will happen when that time comes," Kairyn mumbled to himself.

"Hey Littlefoot! You and that human planning on making a nest back there? Hurry it up will ya!" Cera's voice then echoed through the rocky valley. Littlefoot dipped his head somewhat embarrassed and giggled.

"C'mon, we'd better catch up to the group," Kairyn said pointing to the path ahead, "Cera and the others are already around the corner. We can't even see them from here." Littlefoot smiled and nodded as the pair of them headed down the path to follow the rest of the unusual herd.

Just as Littlefoot and Kairyn had begun walking to close the gap between them and the others, the canyon echoed with a piercing screech of terror.

"That sounded like Ducky!" Littlefoot gasped as he glanced worryingly over to Kairyn. Kairyn's wide eyes were answer enough as they both broke into a dash to investigate. Rounding the corner, the pair of them slid on the gravel as they arrived behind the group's frozen positions.

"Ducky! What's the matter?" Littlefoot asked but before she could speak, Littlefoot obtained his answer which sent a sickeningly cold shiver down the length of his spine and robbed his throat of breath.

"Oh my…God!" Kairyn gaped as he looked out over Cera's shoulder and down onto their path. The sight they witnessed was grim. The canyon was littered with numerous bodies of carnivorous dinosaurs all strewn about the dusty path and in amongst the jagged rocks that lined the mountains either side of the walkway. Their corpses were all beaten and bloody as if some vicious battle had occurred leaving the victims lifeless on the ground as a grisly chronicle of the violence they'd suffered.

"What happen here?" Petrie breathed as he huddled close to Ducky as they both cringed at the horrific sight.

"Looks like a huge fight broke out or something," Cera suggested as she cautiously stepped deeper into the death-ridden scene. The others followed behind her anxiously.

"There are so many… it looks like a whole herd of them," Littlefoot gasped as he scanned the twisted, lolled bodies, "What could have done this to all these sharpteeth." Kairyn ducked down to examine the nearest body.

"They've all got…gash wounds," he concurred eyeing a bloody score across the belly of one of the raptor-looking dinosaurs.

"Another bigger sharptooth maybe?" Ducky suggested.

"But why would one lone sharptooth fight with a whole herd?" Littlefoot asked greatly saddened by the sight of so many fallen dinosaurs; even if they were technically his predators.

"I don't think a sharptooth did this…" Kairyn then said gravely as he examined another victim which bore a similar wound across its face and down its chest. The gang all turned back to look at him.

"These aren't claw or talon wounds," Kairyn continued, his tone suddenly darkened.

"How can you tell?" Littlefoot asked morbidly curious.

"The cuts are far too clean…these poor guys were sliced apart by a blade…" Kairyn said tunelessly, "My guess is that the Black Ghost is responsible for this." The gang all glanced at each other and then back down to the execution ground around them; a cold chill gripping each one of them.

"All of them?!" Petrie whispered hoarsely.

"But why? Why would he do this?" Ducky asked sheepishly.

"Your guess is as good as mine but it just goes to show he is capable of senseless destruction," Kairyn said. At that moment, his mind flashed an image of father which forced Kairyn to clench a fist to prevent himself from screaming out.

"We don't know that for sure… anyway, we better get outta here," Littlefoot said. The sight of the dismembered sharpteeth and scent of death in the air was making him feel sick. All of a sudden, there was rustling of loose stones that tumbled down the left side of the valley wall. In pursuit of the shingle came a number of large rocks that had been swept down with the rolling stones. Oblivious to their sudden movement, the gang remained stationary in amongst the bodies.

"What that?" Petrie then said, picking up on the sudden rumbling. Suddenly, the same whispering voice that had pre-warned Kairyn of dangerous events yet to come spoke out to him again.

"Look out! To your left!" the voice whispered to him hurryingly. Kairyn snapped his head up to his immediate left and spied the rolling boulders that had multiplied in numbers exponentially. He let out a fearful yell that grabbed the attention of the others.

"ROCK SLIDE!!" Cera screeched as she kicked off into a sprint. The gang all screamed as they followed her example. With Spike and Kairyn trailing, they were bounced off their feet as the cascade of boulders tumbled down over the fallen sharpteeth just behind them.

"Everyone okay?" Littlefoot asked as soon as they were out of range.

"Oh yep, yep, yep!" Ducky replied as she helped Spike back onto all fours.

"And this was the SAFE way to the Great Valley after the Rock that looks like a Longneck?" Cera huffed irritably as she shook the dust from her body.

"I can't say I remember much of this but at least we're all okay," Littlefoot said positively. However, a series of gutting growls sounded down into the rocky valley over them. Stealing their attention, the gang all looked back to where the rocks had fallen behind them and gasped as a handful of sharpteeth suddenly emerged from the rubble.

"Oh no! Sharpteeth!" Petrie wailed.

"Raptors! They must be the survivors of the attack on their pack! They were hiding in the rocks!" Kairyn hypothesised as the few remaining raptors glared down on them from atop their fallen's tomb of boulders. They looked beaten and bruised but still looked primed to fight for their decimated pack. The gang all inched back slowly as they clumsily attempted to descend the loose wall of rocks.

"Quit gawking at them and let's get outta here!" Cera yelled as she pirouetted on her back legs and started down the open valley path. One by one, they all gave chase as did the raptors. Fortunately for the young group, the inflicted injuries of the pursuing raptors seemed to impair their ability to run at their top speed and was slowing them down a bit but they were still hot on their heels as they dashed madly through the valley. As they sprinted onwards, the mountain walls seemed to peel apart and the path widened. Rounding a bend, the gang suddenly found themselves facing a large open plain of zigzag cracked earth and small craters jutting a few feet out of the ground. Thick clouds of gas slithered up out of the craters and holes in the crumbling ground. Kairyn gasped as he clicked as to what they were about to dash out into.

"Guys, wait! STOP!" he yelled. Cera, Spike and Littlefoot all dug their heels into the floor to skid to a halt and Petrie hit an aerial brake on Kairyn's command.

"What's wrong now human?!" Cera barked breathlessly.

"That's a geyser field out there! We must be running into a volcanic region!" Kairyn said forebodingly but he was met with blank faces.

"So?!" Cera pressed impatiently.

"There are geysers out there! Hot steam and water trapped underground just under the earth's surface shoots up under high pressure," Kairyn enveloped.

"Ugh…SO?!" Cera repeated sounding more aggravated.

"SO! If we run out there and step in the wrong place, we'll get blown to pieces by a blast of scolding hot water!" Kairyn stressed despairingly. Littlefoot, Spike, Ducky and Petrie all glanced at each other worryingly.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Cera scoffed as she turned to take a step out into the open field.

"Cera DON'T!" Kairyn yelled throwing a hand out to her. That ghostly voice has spoken out to him again. As if by demonstrative command, the second Cera placed her foot out on the cracked earth, the ground split and a column of steam and water shot up mere inches from the tip of Cera's nose. Yelping, Cera hopped backwards as the water jet slowly died and dropped back into the ground.

"See? That's a geyser! That water will burn your skin clean off if you touch it!" Kairyn warned again.

"Well, what do we do?" Cera grumbled, "We'll have to cross it."

"What? Are you mad? I'm not stepping out into that minefield! It's suicide!" Kairyn exclaimed.

"It's either out there or back to face the sharpteeth!" Cera said flatly. At that moment, the trailing sharpteeth let out a screech that told the gang that they had to make their decision quick.

"Ohhh… what do we do?" Ducky whined.

"Me see sharpteeth! They coming!" Petrie cawed from overhead. Littlefoot's mind was racing. They had to move but neither way would guarantee their survival.

"Hey look! There's a cave over there; at the far end!" he said looking out into the geyser field, "It's our only chance to escape the sharpteeth. We're just gonna have to try and be careful when crossing. If we stay away from the cracks in the ground we could probably make it to the other side."

"That's a pretty big 'if' though. These grounds are unstable and the water could hit us at any time!" Kairyn complained.

"What choice do we have?" Littlefoot retorted just as another screech rang out and he saw the raptors rounding the last bend.

"I'm with the water! Let's go already!" Cera demanded leaping over the crack she'd pressed on previously.

"Oh God! I must be outta my freakin' mind!" Kairyn whimpered weakly as he chased after Spike.

Unlike the squabbling group, the raptors wasted no time in setting out after their prey be it by foolhardy instinct or unknowledgeable naivety. Their bantering had allowed them to gain a lot of ground as they charged headlong out onto the fragile earth. The gang were trying their best to dodge and evade every oblique slither and jagged fault line that blurred under their pacing feet. Petrie was airborne, flying ahead of the group trying his best to scout out a safe route through the geyser field for his friends. One misplaced step could trigger the whole field to erupt. The ground was uncomfortably hot underfoot but the fear of being captured by the pursuing raptors gave them enough grit to ignore the searing on the soles of their feet. The cave at the foot of the mountain up ahead seems impossibly distant as the five gravity bound runners skidded around a crater sat right in their path and leapt over a huge network of cracks snaked outwards from its base. The sharpteeth right behind them rounded the same landmark a few seconds later but failed to acknowledge the fault lines webbed out on the ground. Without a given thought, their heavy feet struck down on the cracks. As if by painful flinch, the ground began to tremble, sending violent shivers underneath the fleeing gang's feet.

"What that shaky noise?" Petrie asked nervously overhead. No one answered him since they were far too busy concentrating on attempting to reach the other side in one piece. Suddenly, a deafening explosion of highly pressurised water erupted through the floor next to Cera on the far left of the group. Screaming in fright, Cera took a strafing leap to her right to avoid being splashed on by the scorching hot water.

"Not good! Not good!" Kairyn floundered as he hurdled a low crater that shot a column of water up mere seconds after his clearing jump, "The whole field's going up!"

"Just keep going! Head for the cave!" Littlefoot ordered having just evaded another explosion just to the side of him.

"Right! Move right! NO! Other right!" Petrie yelled from above trying to help his friends navigate their way through the wave of eruptions going up around them. From his aerial spot, he could see the zigzag cracks running along the scarred earth but he was having difficulty flying through the blasts of searing hot steam that shot even as high as he was. Ducky glanced behind from atop Spike to check on their chasers.

"The sharpteeth are still coming! They are!" she wailed as she watched the pursuing raptors sidestep the jets of steam and water that they, themselves, had just narrowly dodged.

"We're nearly there! Keep going!" Littlefoot shouted breathlessly. He could feel his muscles tightening as fatigue started to settle into his pumping legs. Whether it was determination or fear that forced him to keep sprinting onwards, he couldn't tell but it was serving him well. All of a sudden, the tremors worsened and the entire field seemed to rock up and down like a tidal wave. Petrie then gasped as he witnessed a giant crack worming its way across the ground perpendicularly to the direction his friends were running in.

"Guys! Look out! Big crack right in front of you!" Petrie warned. They all saw it. A huge snaking zigzag tore its way directly in front of them like a knife had scored a giant cut in the road ahead. The slit in the earth hissed steam threateningly like a wispy cloud of breath awaiting to release the pressure it had stored.

"That crack's gonna erupt in our face!" Kairyn wheezed as they approached it still at full stride. They could all feel the ground grumbling as it prepared to discharge its hidden store of torrid water.

"Everyone jump it!" Cera yelled over the deafening tremors. In one bounding move, all five of them took one last step, side by side, before leaping as far as they could over the gouging split in the ground. Not daring to look down, they all sailed over the massive crack just as a colossal wall of hot water sprung up from the ground and shot into the air. Feeling the heat of the geyser's eruption just behind them, they all landed heavily on the other side. Through their tiredness, their legs buckled on hitting the floor and they skidded to a stop to catch their breath.

"Jeez! I can't believe we just did that!" Kairyn puffed hunched over on his knees.

"Do you think the sharpteeth have stopped chasing us?" Ducky asked as she patted a very wheezy Spike. No sooner had she asked, the chasing raptors came leaping through the curtain of water. What little breath the gang had recovered was lost in their screams as they appeared. The raptors, however, screeched in pain and landed in heaps on the ground as they rolled about trying to subside the burning of the scolding hot water on their scaly skin.

"They obviously didn't think that idea through too well," Kairyn scoffed.

"Enough talk, let's get to that cave!" Cera barked as she led the way. Using the sharpteeth's unwise act as a head start, the group all headed for their safe haven but the eruption of the geysers had started becoming more frequent and threatened to explode underneath them like buried mines.

"Sharpteeth are chasing us again!" Ducky reported anxiously as she saw the scolded raptors on their heels again. They were some way behind but still remained adamant to catch them.

"We've gotta get into that cave and outta sight!" Littlefoot shouted warily. Suddenly, a wave of eruptions shot up at them, taking them by surprise. The gang all ducked and weaved, almost ramming into each other as the pillars of water pierced through the ground and blasted up in between them. Kairyn seethed as his left arm brushed past a geyser that shot up just next to him.

"Kairyn! You alright?" Littlefoot asked on hearing him yell out in pain.

"Argh! Damn that hurt!" Kairyn cursed trying to shake the water off and relieve the stinging pain shooting up his arm whilst he ran on, "I'm alright; keep going!"

Traversing the geyser field had been a valiant effort by the courageous group and their ordeal was near to a blissful end as they saw the cave fast approaching.

"Almost there!" Petrie cawed almost jovially.

"Thank God!" Kairyn puffed still wincing at the tingling pain on his left arm.

"Keep going Spike! We are nearly there! We are, we are!" Ducky encouraged. Poor Spike was at his physical limit as he tore through the field. Panting heavily, he was trying his hardest to keep up with the group and keep ahead of the sharpteeth behind him. Suddenly, as if by some cruel trick, a small crack in front of Spike's path let out a jet of water and highly pressurised steam right in front of the young stegosaurus's face. Unprepared for the sneak attack, Spike felt his head being struck by a bludgeoning force that almost knocked him unconscious. The blow disorientated him as he fell to the ground in a blind and deafened daze. Unable to regain his bearings, Spike felt something jabbing him in the side of his head. At first he feared it may have been the sharptooth feasting on him but then, through his blurry vision, he saw Ducky's terrified face staring him straight in his face. He could see her mouth moving but the loud ringing in his audibly overloaded ears robbed her of the sweet caring voice he had come to recognise.

"Spike! Spike! Please get up! Please get up!" Ducky cried despairingly but he didn't respond to her. She was hitting every inch of him and attempting to lift his head to try to get him back on his feet, "Oh please, please, please Spike! Please get up!" Try as she might, Spike only gave her a vacant gaze that proved that his senses had been severely rocked. Suddenly, Spike saw Littlefoot, Cera and Kairyn all race back towards him. Unable to hear their voices, he could tell by the expressions on their faces that something was horribly wrong. They were glancing around the area in fear and were mouthing his name directly in his face but all without a note of sound. Spike then felt his body being pushed and pulled at. The deafening ringing has started to subside and the ambience sound of the pandemonium unravelling around them echoed in his smarting ears.

"C'mon Spike! Get up!" Littlefoot urged using his body to prop up the hefty young spiketail.

"Up you get Spike," Cera strained as she tried to lever him up by his other side.

"This place is gonna blow apart! We've gotta get outta here or we're going up with it!" Kairyn warned as he helped Spike finally find his four feet.

"You okay Spike?" Petrie asked the maimed spiketail who nodded and hummed in confirmation. The geyser field was now in utter chaos. Water was shooting up through the ground at secondly intervals with no signs of letting up. The gang took off again for the sanctuary of the cave as their pursuers we now pretty much on top of them. Littlefoot leapt to the right to avoid a pouncing lunge from the closest sharptooth and then forced another dodging hop to the left to evade a geyser blast. The cave was nearly upon them but with the sharpteeth directly behind, they would not have a chance to rest even after they had entered.

"The sharpteeth are right on top of us! What'll we do?" Cera said anxiously as she punted the raptor in the face with her back legs as it took a low sweeping bite at her. Suddenly, Kairyn heard the same ghostly voice ring in his ears giving him very clear instructions.

"Head into the cave! Don't look back!" it told him. Still puzzled by this intruding voice, it had protected him thus far so he was not within rights to question it now.

"Everyone run for the cave!" he shouted out. Just then, there was a blinding flash before their eyes and a high pitched ring sounded as another huge gouging crack meandered its way across their path just before the cave entrance.

"What was that?" Ducky asked blinking rapidly. She wasn't quite sure if she'd just seen something before her vision or not.

"Another crack!" Petrie warned.

"Just go for it!" Kairyn yelled regardless. No one combated his suggestion as they made a final dash for the cave entrance. The ground trembled as the warning signs of steam slithered their way out of the craterous slice in the earth.

"Here we go again…" Kairyn whimpered to himself as they approached it.

"Everybody jump!" Littlefoot shouted. In one fluid motion, as one synchronised line, the group all leapt out over the massive crack in the floor. It was much bigger than the previous one. Whilst airborne, a gigantic wave of scolding water shot up out of the ground and stood defiantly between the fleeing group and their pursuers. Having learned their lesson from the last wall they leapt through, the raptors all skidded to a halt as the water spray leapt up in front of them. They growled indignantly as they watched through the watery curtain as a warbling set of youngsters sprinted away and disappeared into the base of the mountain. Another flash and another high-pitched ring sounded out over the raptors forcing their heads up to the roof of the cave entrance. There they saw a number of huge boulders tumble down from the mountain face and landed squarely in front of the cave, blocking any passage into it. Tired and defeated, the raptors snarled at the youngsters before turning around to look for a way off the geyser field before they became more casualties of their broken pack.


	25. Smoke, Heat and Fire

Chapter 24: Smoke, Heat and Fire

"Holographic Light Sphere activated," a computerised female voice said monotonically as a neon blue gridded orb floated up and out of the screen of the little device to help illuminate the pitch black. Kairyn held the Minicom up allowing the piercing light to fall on a clump of huddled bodies as one by one, they unfurled from one another.

"Everyone all right?" Kairyn asked as the mass of limbs and tails untangled themselves.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Littlefoot responded battling with his weary legs to grant him permission to stand once again.

"We are okay, yep, yep, yep," Ducky replied feebly as she clambered through a gap between Spike and Cera.

"Me be okay…if Spike get off me…" Petrie's muffled voice emanated from beneath Spike's belly. Spike hummed in slight confusion as he slowly pushed himself up off the ground and looked under him. A shadowy eagle-spread imprint of Petrie lay squashed in the rocky soil as he whimpered at the pain of being compressed. Spike carefully took Petrie in his mouth by the back of the neck and stood him up in a clear space where the little flyer warbled and stumbled on his feet. Spike licked Petrie apologetically but this only made the disoriented flyer tumbled over backwards to land flat on his back on the dusty floor.

"Anyone have any idea where we are?" Cera then asked as she shook the loose dirt off her back. Kairyn lifted the holographic sphere higher to try and spill more of its incandescent light into the cramped dark cave.

"You got me," Kairyn said finally, "a cave of some sort."

"Looks like rocks fell in behind us so that way is blocked," Littlefoot said eyeing the pile of boulders jamming up their way in.

"So we're trapped in here? Great," Cera huffed irritably.

"Hang on, there's a tunnel back here," Kairyn announced from around a blind corner. The gang all carefully made their way over to where he was calling from. With the Minicom held high, they could all just make out the mouth of a high roofed tunnel leading the way deeper into the mountain.

"Where do you think it goes?" Ducky asked apprehensively.

"Guess there is only one way to know," Littlefoot said sounding slightly nervous himself.

"It's not like we have any other way to go. Come on," Cera said before bumping Kairyn in the small of his back with her nose horn, "you've got the light so you lead human." Kairyn sighed before reluctantly stepping ahead of the group followed closely by the rest of the gang.

The rugged walls of the tunnel made the walkway unnervingly narrow despite the height of its ceiling. Kairyn cautiously wandered down the path with the Minicom held aloft in his left hand. The dinosaurs were literally at nose to tail proximity to each other as they followed Kairyn's lead. The air was chokingly thick as they shuffled their way down the passageway; their husky breaths echoing between the tight walls.

"Sure is dark down here…" Petrie quivered lowly, staring up at the rugged surfaces either side of him in the pale glow of blue light. No one spoke back to him but they all silently felt the claustrophobic walls pressing down on them like spiteful creatures trying to reach out and grab at them. Having followed the tunnel for a little while, all without gaining any noticeable headway, one of the gang made a peculiar observation.

"Urrrgghh! What is that smell?" Ducky then said. The sudden pique of her voice from the darkness made the others all jump a little.

"What smell?" Littlefoot asked feeling a little more relaxed to finally be engaging in conversation rather than enduring the tense silence draped over them all.

"That nasty stinky smell. It smells very bad, it does, it does," Ducky said disapprovingly.

"Whatever it is, it better not be Spike," Cera scorned bluntly. Spike let out a grumbled groan in offense.

"It is not you Spike. The air smells funny down here, it does, it really does," Ducky continued. Littlefoot lifted his hanged head up and inhaled sharply. A strong pungent odour shot up his nostrils and down into his throat forcing him to gag and cough.

"Oohhh! Errugh!" he cringed, "Ducky's right! That is nasty!" Even though they had just all witnessed Littlefoot choke on whatever foul scent was floating in the air, everyone else unintelligently decided to do the same and sample the quality of the tunnel's air only to fall victim to the same result.

"Oh man! There's a stink I could have done without," Kairyn wheezed pinching his nose.

"Eww! It smells like that pit back when those weird Rainbow-Faces helped us get to the Stone of Cold Fire," Cera flinched, her eyes watering a little.

After a quick fit of coughs and splutters, the gang all took whatever measures they could to minimise breathing in any more of the unpleasant aroma and continued down the tunnel.

"Whew. Is it just me or is it getting warmer in here?" Kairyn then said slipping his hand over his forehead to mop his suddenly damp brow. He paused for a moment to remove his hooded jacket and tied it around his waist.

"It's not just you Kairyn. It does seem warmer all of a sudden," Littlefoot agreed feeling a little flushed himself.

"Maybe it is because we have been walking for so long," Ducky suggested.

"The Minicom's heat sensors have detected an increase in the air temperature as well as a serious decrease in air quality," Kairyn reported as he poked his Minicom and a holographic display of numbers popped up around the glowing blue sphere, "that'll explain the smell but I wonder why it's dipped so much."

"Lookie there! Light!" Petrie then announced pointing down the length of the tunnel. Everyone looked to where he was signalling. Sure enough, a warm glowing light was emanating from the end of the tunnel.

"Finally we can see a way out," Cera sighed but was quickly reacquainted with the foul stench that had been lingering around them and wrinkled her face with disgust, "uck! But that bad smell is still here."

"C'mon guys. Let's just keep going. We're almost out of here," Littlefoot offered encouragingly. With nothing more said, and the light slowly piercing the darkness, they marched towards the exit. As they journeyed on, they started to find the simple act to breathe becoming a chore but no one wanted to complain. Then Petrie picked up on something else.

"What that hissing sound?" he asked anxiously.

"What hissing sound?" Cera asked back impatiently just as a jet of air shot at her from her left hand side and directly in front of her making her squeal and stop.

"That hissing sound," Petrie said unhelpfully. Cera whipped a scornful gaze back at the little flyer who quickly shrunk behind Spike to dodge eye contact.

"Where did that come from? It looked like it came from out of the rocks," Littlefoot analysed sounded a little bewildered. He leaned in closer to where the jet of pressured air had emerged from but Kairyn pulled his head back.

"Littlefoot, careful. It could be more steam like back out on that geyser field. You don't wanna burn your face," he warned. Suddenly, Kairyn's Minicom let out a shrieking little buzz. Drawing his attention immediately, Kairyn read the display and his eyes widened with worry.

"What is wrong Kairyn?" Ducky asked reading the look on his face.

"Temperature's reading thirty-seven degrees Celsius and steadily rising. Air quality's degrading," he said sounding disturbed as he tapped more buttons, "this isn't steam…Guys! Get back from the gas! Don't breathe too deep!"

"Why? What's wrong?" Littlefoot asked as Kairyn backed him up.

"The gas seeping out of the rocks, the bad stink we've been smelling all the way down here; it's some sort of sulphurous gas!" Kairyn said forebodingly. The others, again confused by the human terminology, looked at each other blankly and back at Kairyn in hope of an explanation.

"What's a sul-phur-ous…?" Littlefoot began to ask but Kairyn cut in as he had hoped.

"A gas with the element sulphur as its key constituent component. According to this, this gaseous compound is poisonous. If you breathe in too much of it, it will probably knock you out or possibly worse! That's why the air quality reading has been getting worse as we've been walking down here." The gang all stiffened at Kairyn's warning; even Cera who had duly learnt not to challenge Kairyn's knowledge of things they weren't entirely sure of. As much as she would never admit it, he was far more resourceful than she was.

"We need to be careful walking through big clouds of this stuff. It might be damaging to our health," Kairyn tagged on as he flicked the clam-shelled device shut. The light coming from the end of the tunnel was now illuminating the narrow walls just enough for them to see the path ahead. That's when a damning realisation hit all six of them at exactly the same time. Turning rigidly towards their path, they could see a dense concentration of gassy blasts shooting out of the walls from every inch up and down their rocky surfaces.

"Great! So how are we supposed to get to the end of the pathway if all that nasty air is in the way," Cera muttered wincing at the scent.

"The bad air isn't spraying out of the rocks all the time. Maybe we could slip in between the blasts and get to the other side," Littlefoot suggested.

"But how we know when bad air going to squirt out again?" Petrie countered.

"There's no real way to tell sadly. Guess we've just gotta time our moves carefully and hope we don't get sprayed," Kairyn said shrugging. He was starting to feel a nauseating sense of dread well up in the pit of his stomach as a harrowing series of thoughts passed through his mind. "_I hope we're not where I think we are_," he pondered fretfully.

"So, who's gonna go first? There's not enough room for all of us to move at the same time," Littlefoot asked.

"I am small and the bad air is spraying upwards; maybe I can get through," Ducky bravely volunteered. No one had any objections so with a quick well-wish each, Ducky slid off Spike's back and edged as close as she could to the nearest steaming crack. She did her best not to inhale too sharply as the oozing split in the wall seeped out a strong blast of the noxious gas. The pressure then dropped and the clouded air space cleared within a second. Ducky seized her chance and darted forwards. Holding her breath, she past two vents in succession before pausing to allow the third one to shoot just before her. The sudden burst of gas made her yelp but she quickly covered her mouth to prevent wasting any more breath. The others watched her movements anxiously from their end hoping that she'd pass the sulphurous gauntlet without falling victim to it venomous fumes. Still on a single breath, Ducky made another quick dash as the gas evaporated from view. Repeating her start/stop routine, Ducky past the remaining few cloudy jets to end up safely at the far end.

"I…I made-ed it! I am okay!" Ducky puffed as she fought to breathe again.

"She did it!" Littlefoot beamed.

"Yeah, she made it look easy," Kairyn agreed impressed.

"Well, guess it our turn now," Petrie said with a small gulp. After a brief battle of suggestions as to who was to head out next, Cera boldly took the second run in a boastful effort to prove that a threehorn could clear the danger just as efficiently as any other creature; if not better. Cera had successfully past the first couple of venting cracks when Littlefoot decided to make his move in the hope that Cera's progression wouldn't falter. With a held breath each, Spike followed behind Littlefoot's lead with Petrie riding atop him and Kairyn brought up the rear.

"You can do it guys. You are doing fine," Ducky cheered trying to help keep them focused. Cera, Littlefoot, Spike and Kairyn were now all immersed in the foul smelling corridor of putrid air trying their best to ignore the burning in the back of their throats where tiny slithers of the gas had managed to seep into their nostrils. Cera, with one last leap, jumped clear of the last vent and exhaled sharply.

"Ergh! I'm gonna need a bath after walking through all this smelly stuff," Cera cringed as she pulled up alongside Ducky as far as she could get from the shooting jets. Ducky giggled at her statement. Littlefoot quickly followed behind Cera and he breathed a sigh of relief once he was out of range of the nasty scented gas. He returned a smile offered by Ducky before looking back towards the gassy passage. Spike emerged a few seconds later carrying Petrie who immediately took to the air to distance himself as quickly as he could from the sulphurous gas.

"Whew! That stuff smell terrible! Worse than the stinky swamp we cross when we go to find Littlefoot when he and his grandparents go to that giant hole!" Petrie said as he landed between Cera and Ducky.

"Well it is over now Petrie. We can move away from the smelly air now, we can," Ducky said smiling as Spike waddled over.

"You okay Spike?" Littlefoot asked the young stegosaurus who hummed happily after a short sharp exhale.

"So where's the two-footed know-it-all?" Cera then said sarcastically.

"He was right behind Spike," Littlefoot replied ignoring her mocking tone.

"I hope he is alright. He is taking a long time," Ducky said starting to sound concerned.

"Kairyn! Kairyn, are you alright?" Littlefoot shouted down into the tunnel. The tightly packed walls made his voice reverberate and repeat in the confining space. To Littlefoot's fear, Kairyn didn't reply. Littlefoot then turned to Petrie.

"Petrie, can you fly up and see if you can find Kairyn?" he asked.

"Umm…okay," Petrie replied nervously. With a quick beat of his wings, Petrie shot into the air to try and gain an aerial view of the gas-shooting section of the tunnel. The clouding gas made it difficult to make out anything specific but Petrie soon spotted Kairyn just over three-quarters of the way down the passage. He was lying face down on the ground and didn't appear to be moving. With a quick loop, Petrie dove to the ground to report the grim news.

"Kairyn still in there! He lying down but me no think he moving!" Petrie said urgently. Littlefoot's gut turned ice cold. Kairyn was obviously unconscious in the gas.

"We've gotta help him!" Littlefoot cried making a beeline for the gauntlet. A strong blasting jet shot as a warning in front of Littlefoot's face as he approached. Littlefoot ducked his head low to try and see underneath the viscous clouds.

"I see him!" Littlefoot shouted but quickly coughed and gagged as the dissipating particles of the dense gas shot into his open mouth.

"Littlefoot! Be careful! Don't breathe in the bad air!" Cera scorned as she and the others trotted up behind him.

""We've gotta get him outta there!" Littlefoot barked as he caught his breath again. He almost choked on the air again when he saw that Ducky had already made a start on trying to reach Kairyn's incapacitated position. He was desperate to set out after her but the vent let out another blast of noxious fumes that prevented him from venturing out.

Ducky had reached Kairyn's fallen position and was trying her best to try and pull his dead weight along the gravelly floor towards the exit. He began inching slowly as she tugged at his arm with all her might. The gassy sprays discharged dangerously close to her head at high pressure but she remained as low as possible to avoid being hit by the airy shots.

"That's it Ducky! Bring him closer!" Littlefoot urged. His head was ducked low primed to snatch at any inch of Kairyn that came close enough to pull him out of harm's way. Ducky struggled and strained with Kairyn's limp arm, trying her hardest to get him within range of Littlefoot. She was starting to felt light-headed as she could feel the burning sensation of the poisonous chemicals seeping down her throat.

"Me help!" Petrie cawed as he swooped down from in between the blasting vents. Landing beside Ducky, he grabbed the same arm and tugged as hard as he could. Littlefoot was anxiously waiting beyond the last sulphurous vent. Another jet had just disappeared and Kairyn was almost within snatching range.

"_A little closer…gotta time it right…_" his mind edged. A new wave of explosive blasts erupted near his head stealing Kairyn and his rescuers from sight. Littlefoot's nerves tingled violently but he remained trained on his task. The gas then dissipated and he saw a limp hand pass into the path of the depressurised vent. Littlefoot extended his coiled neck, shot his head forward, clamped his jaws around the appendage and yanked it towards him fiercely with Ducky and Petrie still attached. Kairyn's flaccid body rushed along the ground kicking up a dusty haze just as another shot of potent gas erupted out from the cracks in the wall.

Littlefoot dragged Kairyn down to where the air was a little cleaner and let his arm flop to the floor. Cera, Spike, Ducky and Petrie (who had since let go of Kairyn whilst he was being dragged) ran over to the pair of them as Littlefoot dug his nose under Kairyn and rolled him over onto his back.

"Is he…okay?" Ducky asked nervously. Littlefoot's eyes darted up and down Kairyn still body. His mind was racing far too fast for him to think clearly.

"I…I dunno," he flailed.

"Littlefoot, calm down; try not to panic," Cera eased. She could see he was very distressed.

"Is he breathing?" she then asked. Littlefoot took a quick breath before bending his head down to Kairyn's face.

"I don't think so," Littlefoot reported quickly, having not heard any effort to inhale nor any air brush his cheek from Kairyn's nose.

"What we do?" Petrie whined.

"C'mon Kairyn! Wake up!" Littlefoot pleaded at the unconscious boy but he didn't respond. Littlefoot began nudging and shaking him trying desperately to get him to awaken. His mind's eye then flashed a disturbing image of déjà vu; a replay of an event Littlefoot was forced to witness before. In a panicked move, Littlefoot dropped his front feet directly down onto Kairyn's chest in an effort to try and disturb what looked like a deep slumber. The force of the movement was unintentional but the impact was strong enough to make Kairyn lurch up. Littlefoot, surprised at first, watched the body fall back to the ground as the reaction subsided. Puzzled as to what he had just done, Littlefoot then felt something gently tapping the underside of his right foot as it sat on the boy's chest. Flinching at first, Littlefoot then slowly pressed his foot down a little harder and felt the rhythmic tapping again.

"_Is that…is that Kairyn's heart I can feel?_" Littlefoot pondered. The thought brought a wave of relief that began to calm Littlefoot's own surging heartbeat. Kairyn was alive to a degree but he had to start breathing again. Lifting his feet slightly, Littlefoot pushed down on Kairyn's chest again. He lurched up again but this time Kairyn gave a sickening cough. The gang's faces all lit up as Kairyn rolled over on his side and gasped to replenish the breath stolen from his lungs.

"Kairyn! Are you all right?" Ducky asked through her fingers that were pressed to her face with worry. Kairyn moaned giddily and slowly pushed himself up on to his hands and knees.

"Urrghh…ohh… what the hell happened?" Kairyn groaned once his choking coughs subsided.

"You passed out in the bad air. Ducky and Petrie pulled you over to us and I pulled you out," Littlefoot explained overwhelmed with relief to see Kairyn animate again.

"Really? After all my warnings to you guys about inhaling that sulphurous gas I was the one who got knocked out?" Kairyn said half smiling.

"Maybe you should have listened to your own warnings instead of worrying about us," Cera said smugly. Littlefoot was about to throw her a dirty look but Kairyn's light chuckle made him withhold the gesture.

"Guess you're right there Cera. You guys seem to be perfectly capable of looking out for yourselves," he said as he tried to stand upright, "Whoa; I've got a thumping headache now, but thanks Ducky… Petrie. Thanks for coming back for me." Ducky and Petrie both smiled warmly and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Can you walk?" Littlefoot asked catching Kairyn as he stumbled to one side.

"I think I'll be okay. Think I just need to get out of here before anything else goes wrong," Kairyn said using Littlefoot's head to steady himself.

Grateful to be leaving the sulphur vents behind them, the gang made towards the tunnel's exit. All the while, they all found that their surroundings were starting to become increasingly uncomfortable.

"Whew! It getting hot in here!" Petrie said fanning his face with the tips of his wings.

"No fooling, air temperature's sky rocketed in just a short walk from the gas back there," Kairyn agreed as he brought out his Minicom again.

"You'd think with it being so hot we were inside the Smoking Mountains or something," Littlefoot jested as he flicked off the beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead.

"I wouldn't joke about that too much Littlefoot," Cera slurred as they came to the exit of the tunnel. The gang wandered out from the stuffy tunnel and stopped on a ledge to stare out at their new environment.

"Oh boy…this is what I was afraid of," Kairyn sighed defeated as the realisation kicked in.

"Oh no! We no go past the Mountains That Burn… We walk straight into them!" Petrie cawed in dismay. From their ledge, the gang found themselves gazing out over a giant lava pit. Their evasive dash from the sharpteeth through the geyser field had forced them to blindly charge into an access passage that led deep into the fiery bowels of a volcano. Peering over the edge, Kairyn's foot nudged a loose stone that fell away and tumbled down. It landed in the fiery pit with a gloopy splash, hissing as the intense heat melted it down almost instantly.

"I'm guessing this wasn't the route you first took to get to the Great Valley huh?" Kairyn asked eyeing Littlefoot sideways as he backed away from the edge.

"N-no… I past the Mountains That Burn and I remember going back to help the others when they got into trouble but, we never went directly into one of them," he responded unable to take his eyes off the bubbling magma pool below.

"So now what? We can't go back the way we came," Cera rightly pointed out.

"Look, there is a ledge going around the outside of the mountain," Littlefoot then said signalling to a thin-lipped path running around the inside edge of the volcano's rocky wall.

"And it leads right to the top," Cera added following the path's spiralling route upwards. With no other possible way out, the vote was unanimous. Baked by the intense heat of the boiling lava not too far below them, the group all shuffled to the start of the corkscrewing pathway and began marching up its steep slope.

In a single filed line, the group of youngsters cautiously made their way up and around the edge of the volcano. The heat rising up from the pit beneath them distorted their view to a queasy wavering that only added to their physical discomfort alongside the blistering warmth. Kairyn's Minicom was blipping intense warnings of the elevated temperature strongly advising that he and his travelling companions seek shade immediately.

"Can't you stop that stupid thing of yours from making that annoying sound?" Cera barked irritably having attempted to ignore the piercing bleeping coming from Kairyn's pocket. Kairyn sheepishly dipped his hand down the side of his leg and pulled out the Minicom that was flashing a warning red around its closed rim.

"Sorry. It's just warning us that we shouldn't be in here coz it's too hot to tolerate for an extended period of time," Kairyn said tapping at the screen.

"Well I could have told you that without that thing!" Cera remarked grumpily.

"C'mon guys, let's just get to the end of the path," Littlefoot urged trying to keep everyone's tempers down. The last thing they needed besides walking on a hazardously narrow ledge over a magma pool was for fiery attitudes to add to the already unbearable heat.

"There…done," Kairyn announced poking one last key silencing the computer's screeching.

"That's better," Cera huffed flicking the rolling sweat off her brow. However, after only a few steps further, the Minicom started wailing again. Cera ducked her head and grinded her teeth.

"I thought you said you'd stop it from making that stupid noise!" she snapped shunting Kairyn in the back of the legs.

"Oww! Hey! I DID stop it!" Kairyn protested reaching for the Minicom again, "I dunno what's up with it." Flicking open the screen again, Kairyn examined the device but his face pursed up in confusion.

"Hmm…that's new…" he hummed.

"What wrong?" Petrie asked taking a short flight from atop Spike to perch on Kairyn's shoulder to look at the device. Naturally, the little flyer couldn't make heads nor tails of what Kairyn was reading.

"I've never had an alert like this before. Must be something Dad installed when he updated it last for me," Kairyn said aloud but to himself.

"What is it?" Littlefoot asked.

"It's a scientist's application for measurement tools; like the temperature gauge. This one is for measuring seismic activity," Kairyn said, his face still buried in the screen.

"What does that mean?" Ducky asked curiously.

"Well, it's for measuring movements in the earth to detect earthquakes…" Kairyn said trailing off.

"Earthquakes?" Petrie said gulping, "Is that anything like…earth_shakes_?"

"I'm gonna guess that that's your dino talk for the same thing, yeah," Kairyn grimaced nervously. The group then all suddenly paused in their tracks as another threatening realisation kicked in.

"Don't tell me that an earthshake's gonna happen while we're in here!" Cera said miserably.

"I don't think so…not by this reading anyway," Kairyn reported as he pecked at the Minicom with his finger, "we're definitely inside an active volcano so there is bound to be some seismic activity going on. The readings are sharp but small and quick so I don't think we're in any danger of being caught up in a volcanic eruption."

"Well, guess we'd better get out of here before this mountain changes its mind," Littlefoot suggested.

"Yeah. If this mountain is gonna blow up, I don't wanna be anywhere near it," Cera added. With an anxious nod each, they all quickened their pace.

Determined not to be caught in any eruptive event that the volcano may have had in store in the near future, the gang were relieved to realise that they were nearing the top of the mountain. There was an odd clash of temperatures as the cool soothing winds from the outside world struck head on with the rising heat from the fiery pit below. The stifling atmosphere was slowly lessening in intensity as they progressed further upwards but they soon stopped as their path suddenly became a little more perilous.

"Aww man! Are you kidding me?" Kairyn whined as they stood a few feet away from the path ahead which had now separated itself from the wall and was now suspended over the lava pit.

"We've done this over a bottomless chasm in the forest AND over a pit full of ice spikes. Now we've gotta do it again but over FIRE this time?! Does someone up there not like us or something?"

"Ohh, quit complaining you baby!" Cera retorted as they all scanned the dimensions of the floating rock bridge.

"It does not look very thick or wide, no, no, no," Ducky pointed out.

"They never are for some reason and they all seem susceptible to breaking apart whilst we're on them," Kairyn continued to rant.

"Well, we've got no other choice. The way out is just there on the other side. Once we cross the path, we're out in the open again," Littlefoot said. Kairyn sighed in defeat. He knew all his complaining would be for nought since they'd have to cross the floating walkway anyway.

"Chased by predators, crushed by snow, gassed by sulphur and now death by freefall into molten lava. How do you guys cope with all this crap?" Kairyn said half laughing.

"Do not worry Kairyn. Life in the Great Valley is much easier than all of the things we have had to do out here in the Mysterious Beyond. It is, it is," Ducky said encouragingly.

"Your Valley sounds like a corner of heaven compared to everything we've been through," Kairyn said smiling idyllically, "I can't wait to get there." Cera then mumbled something out of earshot but Littlefoot promptly elbowed her in the side.

So, one by one, the six adventurers slowly inched their way along the narrow floating path in single file. The rising heat from the lava pit beneath them seemed to lick at their skin as they wandered out over the bubbling molten pool. Cera led the group trailed by Littlefoot and Spike (with Ducky and Petrie riding on his back) with Kairyn walking rigidly at the back muttering quiet prayers of his disdain at the idea of falling to his doom should the path split apart under him. A breathy updraft flushed up from below and threatened to snatch at Petrie but Ducky quickly took his floundering hand and pulled him close. With their concentration cemented on traversing the rocky bridge safely, no one uttered a word but the silence was broken when an ear-splitting wail rang out over them.

"Aaahh! W-wh-what was that?!" Cera said quivering now rooted to her spot.

"S-sorry! Sorry! That was my Minicom again…its alarm when off again," Kairyn sighed having nearly leapt off the path from sheer fright.

"That stupid shell thing again?! If that thing goes off one more time, I'm gonna…" Cera started but Littlefoot bumped her rear with the top of his head as hers swivelled round to try and locate Kairyn.

"Cera! Now's not the time! Just keep going!" he ushered signalling to the bank in front of them. Cera, failing to see Kairyn over Littlefoot, locked eyes with the longneck for a second before snorting as she turned back to face forwards again muttering angry growls under her breath. To their relief, the gang managed to make their way over the rocky suspended bridge with little trouble.

"Well, guess that wasn't so bad," Kairyn said smiling as he cleared the last few metres of the path with a leaping hop, "at least nothing wild happened."

"Nope," Littlefoot replied happily as his eyes then traced the remaining section of the path, "and look how close to the top we are."

"Me just be glad when we get out of here. Strong blowy winds from fire pit almost carry me away," Petrie said finally freeing himself from Ducky's mothering grip. Spike hummed in wholehearted agreement.

"Then, let's go," Cera announced making a start for the remainder of their climb. Taking her first step, Cera immediately cringed as the same shrieking wail emanated from Kairyn she had come to recognise as nothing more than an irritancy. A flared stare shot around and locked on Kairyn who had slapped his hands down onto the side of his thigh to muffle the shrilling ring his Minicom was making.

"I thought I'd given you enough warnings about that thing making that noise! It's giving me a headache!" she said dangerously.

"It's not doing it to be annoying Cera," Kairyn said nervously as she slowly trudged towards him, "it's a warning alarm that's telling us that something requires our attention."

"Then what is it supposed to be warning us about?!" Cera snapped. Kairyn rapidly dipped his hand into his pocket and examined the device which was pulsing a panicked red light around its closed rim.

"Uh oh…" he grimaced as he read the screen.

"What? What's the matter?" Littlefoot instantly inquired. Suddenly, they all felt a great rumbling ripple beneath their feet and the whole area around them shook.

"THAT'S the matter!" Kairyn cringed, "the seismic sensor in the Minicom has been going off coz of the increased amount of activity inside the volcano. I think we might have an eruption brewing down there!" As if to enforce Kairyn's point, the surroundings gave an extra strong shudder that peeled off large boulders and chucks of rock from out of the walls. They spun and tumbled down into the lava pit which was bubbling furiously and began billowing a thick, streaming, smoggy black cloud. Kairyn's Minicom's buzzing suddenly exploded into a piercing wailing, screaming at the panicked group as they tried their hardest not to be thrown off their feet by the mighty tremors.

"We'd better get outta here! There's no telling when this mountain will blow!" Littlefoot warned. Already several steps ahead of his proposed idea, the gang had made a start for the trembling spiral path that was snaking its way up to the summit of the fiery mountain. The fierce vibrations rippling through the ground made it difficult for the gang to run at full stride without having to fight to prevent themselves from being thrown off balance. Giant rocks shed themselves from the wall running along their right side threatened to tumble on top of them. Spike yelped in fear as one large boulder came crashing down in front of him just between him and Cera.

"Go on Spike! Keep running!" Littlefoot urged nearly slamming into the back of him. Regaining his momentum, Spike tucked himself close to the wall to dodge the residual rocks that had broken away in the boulder's bounce with Littlefoot just behind him. The tremors were getting worse as they scrambled their way desperately up the long corkscrewing path. The hailstorm of rocky debris did not relent as they climbed; all the while, the magma below was beginning to bubble with increasing turbulence. Kairyn's Minicom was still screaming above the low pitched rumblings of the falling rocks and the shuddering tremors that was throttling the entire mountain.

"Look! We almost at the top!" Petrie cried as he quickly evaded an aerial barrage of smaller stones and rocks falling from the mountain's top ridge. Delighted to final see the sky again, the gang all pushed themselves to reach their goal; their feet sore and throbbing from pounding the gravelly floor. Suddenly, a giant boulder fell away from the summit and dropped onto the path shaking the ground with tremendous force. Cera squealed as the boulder plummeted just in front of her, punching a great hole the path.

"Jump!" Littlefoot cried seeing the threehorn freeze on the spot. Cera took a step back before charging at the newly formed gap with a roaring cry. She made it. Sliding to a stop, she glanced back to her friends.

"C'mon guys!" she edged. Spike took the next jump but stumbled as he took off. The awkward jerk destabilised Ducky from her seat on his back and she fell sideways whilst Spike was airborne. She let out a terrified screech as she saw the flaming pit beneath her. Just as quickly as the slip had occurred, Ducky suddenly felt something halt her descent in mid-air as two clamps fastened themselves onto her shoulders. Glancing back up, she found Petrie flapping madly as he strained to keep her up and him aloft. With some difficulty, Petrie managed to get the pair of them to the ledge where Cera and Spike were waiting where he sat them down thoroughly exhausted.

"Thank you Petrie! Thank you!" Ducky wheezed as she hugged him tightly.

"You welcome!" Petrie quacked through her crushing grip.

Meanwhile, back on the severed path, Littlefoot was steadying himself for his leap. He was lined up and applied his burst of speed just before Kairyn called out to him.

"Littlefoot! Look out!" he yelled over the rumbling around them. Littlefoot glanced back at Kairyn and then up to where he was pointing. Another supersized rock had exfoliated itself from the wall and Littlefoot was directly underneath its growing shadow. Already in full stride, Littlefoot attempted to outrun it. Passing underneath the falling rock, it slammed into the path between him and Kairyn forcing Kairyn to skid to a stop to avoid being crushed. The crash landing of the rock rippled through the path as Littlefoot crouched to make his jump. The quaking of the path made his knees buckle as he took off, killing the stored energy in his coiled legs to power his leap. Littlefoot's eyes gaped as he stumbled as he jumped. His flight was coming up too short. The gang on the other side all held their breath as Littlefoot flew through the air. Approaching the ledge, Littlefoot instinctively stretched himself out as far as he could reach. To his relief, his forefeet hit solid ground but his body was left dangling precariously down over the bubbling lava that had since started to rise.

Littlefoot struggled and strained to keep himself from falling as Kairyn approached the edge and paused. There wasn't enough room for him to make his jump with Littlefoot still hanging onto the ledge of the path ahead.

"_C'mon Littlefoot…get up!_" Kairyn begged silently. He was so focused on Littlefoot trying to haul himself up that he almost didn't catch wind of Petrie yelling at him.

"Kairyn! Big rock! Look out!" the little flyer cried pointing above the boy. Kairyn snapped his eyes up and saw yet another boulder tumbling down towards him. With a yelp, Kairyn took a step forwards and forced a static jump from a standstill. The boulder crumbled the path as it struck down but thankfully Kairyn was already clear and was sailing through the air to the ledge that Littlefoot was still trying to climb up.

"Heads up Littlefoot!" Kairyn warned as he came within a few feet of the scrambling longneck. Littlefoot paused for a second and looked back just in time to see Kairyn come rushing at him. Gritting his teeth, Littlefoot felt Kairyn crash into the back of him and clamp his hands onto his already aching shoulders. Having controlled the momentum of their swing, Littlefoot and Kairyn both glanced at each other and smirked nervously at their uncomfortable closeness.

"C'mon you two! What are you doing?" Cera bellowed having just sidestepped another hailing rock.

"I can't pull us both up!" Littlefoot strained, "Kairyn, you climb up first." Kairyn nodded and carefully attempted to climb Littlefoot's back and up to the ledge he was clinging to like a living prehistoric ladder. Littlefoot shut his eyes tight as he felt Kairyn's shoes dig painfully into his back, all the while trying his hardest not to relinquish his grip on the path edge. With feet now on Littlefoot's shoulders, Kairyn pulled himself up onto the floating path and breathed a sigh of overwhelming relief. In that brief moment Kairyn drew breath, the air became wedged part way down his throat when he saw the ledge Littlefoot was holding onto crumble away.

"Catch him!" that same ghostly voice Kairyn had guiding him before said from out of nowhere. Obeying immediately, Kairyn swung his top half out over the fraying edge and thrust his two hands out to grab Littlefoot by one of his wavering front feet. He caught him to stop his freefall but Littlefoot's weight, greatly outmatching that of Kairyn's, began dragging them both over the edge. Unable to gain traction on the rolling gravel, Kairyn groaned despairingly. He was determined not to let Littlefoot fall to his death but he couldn't stop his sliding.

Almost dangling back down over the pit, Kairyn suddenly felt something clamp onto the back of his legs. Startled at first, Kairyn then felt his body being inched back up onto the ledge. Despite the blood rushing to his face, Kairyn looked down to Littlefoot who was panting heavily but still offered very grateful smile. Kairyn beamed back as he sat back on the ledge and, with the help of the others, hoisted Littlefoot back onto terra firma.

The group all sat back for a moment to recover, despite the pandemonium going on around them. With just enough energy reclaimed, they all got to their feet and began running back up the spiralling path to the summit. Another rock struck their path behind them causing the path to break away from the wall in a tumbling wave that was now chasing after them. With every last ounce of strength, the gang fled for their lives as the tremors of the volcano worsened even more. The thick billowing smoke almost filled the entire inner chamber of the flaming mountain as the gang clambered up through a breakaway in the rock face that led them out into the open air. Fortunately for them, the volcano's sides were not too steep despite its height as they hurried down to a safe distance away from the rumbling top of the volcano.

"I wonder where we are now," Ducky said as she surveyed the surrounding mountains from their vantage point.

"Look! There are the tar pits down that way," Littlefoot said in between gulps of cooling air, "I think I remember the way from here."

"Phew! Me no believe we get outta that one!" Petrie sighed weakly.

"We're not safe yet," Kairyn said forebodingly as he checked his Minicom whilst still breathing hard. The device was screaming warnings and flashing a dangerous shade of red.

"What now!" Cera whined. By way of response, the gang felt a mighty shudder beneath their feet and a deafening explosion erupted from behind them. Gawking in awe and terror, the gang all looked up to see the sky become blotted out by a thick rising black cloud of dust and ash along with flecks of burning rocky debris shooting up out of the volcano like fireworks. Accompanying the fiery hailstone was a thick stream of magma that was pouring out of the crater and any other porous holes the explosion had forced out of the mountainside. The gang all wailed in fear as the flaming rocks rained down around them.

"Run for it!" Littlefoot cried. Despite their aching bodies, the gang all felt a surge of adrenaline course through their fatigued muscles to aid their frantic bid for safety. With no other way to go, they headed down the mountainside towards yet another nostalgic location their first journey to the Great Valley had challenged them with. In their desperate escape, they headed for the tar pits.


	26. Into the Black Pits of Despair

Chapter 25: Into the Black Pits of Despair

"Go, go, go!" Cera cried as the young group of six sprinted down the mountainside of the erupting volcano that they had, only a few minutes ago, escaped via its craterous summit. Within that brief time period of exiting the fiery innards of the violently trembling mountain, it had since exploded at full force, throwing a barrage of molten rock up into the air and a thick billowing cloud of smoke and ash that blotted out the sun as it filled the atmosphere like a floating, rising ink spillage.

"Whoa! Look out Spike!" Ducky warned as a flaming rock shot down and crashed just to the side of the fleeing stegosaurus. Spike yelped and swerved to dodge the incoming hailstorm as he followed Cera, Littlefoot and Kairyn's lead down the mountain; desperate to keep ahead of the constant flow of lava that was giving chase not too far behind them. Petrie was having a hard time keeping up with the group as he ducked and dived in between the raining mortar blasts of flames and rock.

"W-w…wait for Petrie!" the little flyer squawked breathlessly over the deafening rumbles of volcano.

"Petrie! C'mon!" Littlefoot yelled glancing backwards as he ran at full stride. He could see Petrie was having difficulty navigating through the flaming missiles whilst trying to match the speed of the fleeing group.

"Me…trying!" Petrie complained taking a hard bank to the left only to have to switch direction as another rock came crashing down just in front of him. Suddenly, a raining rock shot down from the summit and made a beeline for Petrie's aerial position whilst his back was turned; marked with deadly accuracy. The rock hit its target with bludgeoning force completely knocking the exhausted flyer out of the air.

"Petrie!" Littlefoot cried despairingly as he witnessed his friend tumbled out of the sky and hit the rocky ground. He skidded to a stop which forced Kairyn to do the same.

"Littlefoot! What's wrong?" Kairyn asked trying to find Littlefoot's wide eyes but he was too concerned about his friend to even glance sideways at him.

"Petrie's hurt! I have to go get him!" Littlefoot said before doubling back.

"Wha-what? Hey! Littlefoot!" Kairyn shouted after the longneck. His vision then focused on the continuous storm of rocks that were still slamming down around them and the running flow of lava that was consuming every bit of solid ground between the summit and the distance their evasive dash had made.

Littlefoot was quickly at Petrie's side as he lay unmoving on the quivering ground.

"Petrie! Petrie! Are you alright?" Littlefoot said hurryingly as he checked the little flyer over for any injuries, "Petrie! Please! Say something!"

"Urgh…ouch…" Petrie then winced in reply. Littlefoot sighed in relief but was then shocked to see Kairyn pull up beside him.

"How is he? Is he okay?" Kairyn asked Littlefoot before gazing down on the eagle-spread pteranodon.

"Me hurt all over…" Petrie groaned weakly as he tried to stand but he quickly flopped down as the pain and fatigue overwhelmed him.

"Take it easy Petrie," Littlefoot soothed.

"Err…Littlefoot?" Kairyn slurred nervously, pointing uphill. The lava flow was dangerously close and was still rolling towards them consuming every inch of ground in sight.

"We've gotta help him," Littlefoot said to Kairyn but the boy was already one step ahead of him.

"I'll carry him," he offered scooping the injured flyer off the ground and held him close to his chest, "c'mon! We'd better get outta here! I don't fancy taking a bath in that stuff!"

Littlefoot nodded and the pair of them turned heel and headed back down to the bottom.

A little further down the mountainside, Littlefoot and Kairyn caught up with Cera, Ducky and Spike who had stopped for a moment to recover their spent stamina.

"What happened to Petrie?" Cera asked eyeing him as he lay cradled in Kairyn's arms.

"A flying rock hit him," Littlefoot reported gravely.

"Is he okay?" Ducky gasped leaning closer to get a better look at Petrie as he groaned and wriggled in Kairyn's grip.

"He's a bit banged up but nothing serious I think. Think the shock of it caught him moreso than any physical damage," Kairyn said, "I'll check him over with the bioscanner on my Minicom once we reach a safe spot." At that moment, a huge flaming boulder came crashing down just to the group's left side making them all scream in fear.

"Whoa! Time to go!" Kairyn yelled as he shot off with the others close behind him.

Nearing the bottom of the volcano, the gang were surprised to find themselves running along a network of high walled trenches. The weaving pathways bred a fearful confusion amongst the group as they tried their best to keep their bearings and navigate a way down through the labyrinth of trenches that didn't offer any helpful hints as the right way to go.

"Which way now?" Cera barked as they hit another horizontal T-junction.

"How should I know? I don't spend my free time playing near active volcanoes!" Kairyn bantered back still cradling the wounded Petrie.

"This way! Littlefoot shouted above the two of them as he spied another path a little further along that looked as if it was heading down the mountain. Following his lead, the others took off after him.

"What's with this place? Why all the tunnels all of a sudden?" Cera grumbled as they slid around the corner.

"They're lava channels. Paths carved into the rock at the foot of the mountain by the molten lava from the surrounding volcanoes," Kairyn explained as he ran on, "think of them as riverbeds but for lava flow rather than water." Just as he had finished his explanation, the group rounded another corner but came to an abrupt stop when they found a rolling mass of lava tumbling towards them.

"Oh no! Fire water!" Ducky yelped as Spike backed up giving the leading few enough room to stagger backwards.

"Ahh crap! The lava's caught us up and is already in the channels! We'd better shift it unless we wanna end up cooked!" Kairyn said wincing at the heat and sight of the lava oozing towards them.

"Back this way!" Littlefoot instructed, taking the lead again. Close behind him, Littlefoot steered the gang back the way they came and past a channel they had previous run down which was now flooded with fiery magma and was beginning to spill into theirs. Desperate for a way out, the gang followed the decreasing slope of the mountain until Ducky spied an opening and a change of scenery.

"Lookie! There are the tar pits!" she squeaked excitedly pointing at a break in the solid wall in the trenches.

"Finally! A way out!" Cera sighed. However, their joy was short-lived as they quickly realised a long stream of lava was already flowing out of Ducky's spied exit.

"It's already flooded out," Kairyn grumbled.

"Let's keep going. Maybe there is another one further along," Littlefoot suggested. Unfortunately for the group, every other gully leading out of the maze of lava channels was already occupied by a streaming flow of glowing magma. To make matters worse, they had run themselves into a dead end and the chasing lava flow wasn't too far behind them.

"Great directions Littlefoot," Cera muttered sarcastically. Littlefoot didn't listen as he scanned the high walls for an idea. Sadly, his panicked mind failed to produce anything viable.

"What will we do now? We are trapped and the fire water is getting closer!" Ducky warned. Then, Petrie let out a painful groan.

"You okay Petrie?" Kairyn asked looking down on him as he held him in his arms.

"Big…rock…" the little flyer said weakly but Kairyn only looked at him peculiarly. Reading his expression, Petrie then stretched out his right hand and pointed.

"Use…big…rock…" Petrie said again. Following his skinny finger, Kairyn looked up at the high walls boxing them in. Then he saw what Petrie was signalling to. There was a large boulder sitting on the edge of the channel, threatening to drop in given a strong enough push.

"The rock! Petrie you're a genius!" Kairyn cried jovially as he laid him on Spike's back next to Ducky who instantly wrapped her arms around the flyer.

"Littlefoot! Gimme a boost up!" Kairyn said as he approached the wall and looked up at it. Doing as instructed, Littlefoot stood parallel to the wall and Kairyn quickly hopped up onto his back. Jumping as high as he could, Kairyn managed to grasp the ledge and pulled himself up.

"Oh great! So the whiny human gets to escape while we sit here to get burned alive!" Cera snapped sounding desecrated.

"He's not leaving us here Cera. Look," Littlefoot said smiling as a wave of déjà vu flooded his mind to when he and Kairyn were alone in the canyon. Although they couldn't see him, they could hear Kairyn grunting and straining behind a boulder that was teetering worryingly close to the edge of the gully.

"Just like old times…eh Littlefoot?" Kairyn said making Littlefoot's grin grow wider.

"The fire water is really close now! It is, it really really is!" Ducky warned in a high-pitched tone of fear.

"Come on human! Hurry it up!" Cera ordered.

"Okay…stand back guys. Incoming…" Kairyn said through his struggling efforts. Backing away from where the boulder was scheduled to land, the gang were relieved when Kairyn gave one last shove and the giant rock tumbled into the channel granting them a stepping stone out of danger. Once the dust settled, the gang, one by one, clambered up and out of the lava channel that swiftly became saturated by the fresh flow of magma that had been pursuing them all the way down. The boulder sizzled in the intense heat of the lava and slowly receded into the superheated river as the last of the gang clambered out.

Glad to finally be in a safe spot and out of harm's way, the gang all collapsed on the ground utterly exhausted. Having puffed and breathed their energy levels back up to a state where they could stand again, everyone turned their worried miens towards their incapacitated flying friend.

"Hey Petrie. How are you feeling?" Littlefoot asked softly.

"Me okay. Still kinda hurty though," Petrie said back as he lay with his head in Ducky's lap. Littlefoot smiled then looked over to Kairyn. The second he caught Littlefoot's beseeching eyes, Kairyn dipped his hand into his pocket and produced his Minicom. Flipping the machine open and tapping the screen a few times, Kairyn then ducked next to Petrie.

"Hey Petrie. I'm gonna run a green light over you. It's just a medical bioscanner. Don't worry, it won't hurt but it's gonna give us an idea of what's wrong, okay?" Kairyn told him as gently as he could. Petrie nodded as Ducky released her mothering hold on him and allowed Kairyn to pick him up and place the little flyer gingerly on the ground. He didn't want a scan of Spike as well as Petrie as their fused anatomies would probably have baffled the machine.

"This might tingle a bit, you ready?" Kairyn assured. Activating the scanner, a green gridded beam of light shot out of the hinge end of the device which Kairyn passed slowly up and down Petrie's body. After a couple of sweeps, the Minicom blipped and Kairyn examined the screen.

"What's it say? Is he hurt bad?" Littlefoot asked leaning over towards Kairyn who was busy prodding the screen.

"Suffered heavy blunt trauma around the trapezius area…contusions to back and upper arm muscles…no spinal damage detected…" Kairyn read aloud but remained focused on the Minicom's screen.

"So…is he gonna be okay?" Cera asked pressingly but without anger.

"Bioscanner says he's got some nasty bruising to his back and arm where the rock hit him; that's where his pain's coming from," Kairyn diagnosed snapping the device closed again, "no extensive tissue damage or broken bones so that's good news. I think the strike has dazed and disorientated him a bit but that'll pass. As long as he stays rested, he'll be back to normal in no time."

"Good," Littlefoot said smiling.

"That little green, flashy light told you all that about Petrie?" Ducky asked sounding impressed.

"This is only a minor injuries bioscanner; helpful for small case bumps, scrapes and breaks. It's nothing like the ones used in hospitals but it comes in handy. Dad got me this one from Keltech," Kairyn explained as he slid the Minicom back into his pocket, "as long as one of us is carrying Petrie for a while, he'll be back in the air sooner rather than later."

"So…me no can fly?" Petrie asked in a groggy whisper.

"Not right now Petrie. Kairyn says you need to rest," Littlefoot said as Kairyn picked him up placed him on the longneck's back.

"I will look after him. Yep, yep, yep," Ducky volunteered as she scrambled up Littlefoot's tail to support Petrie. Kairyn nodded, admiring Ducky's unselfish, caring nature. With Petrie's injuries analysed and worries about his well-being quelled, the gang made their way along a narrow path alongside the flowing river of lava and down into the tar pits. With all they had endured so far, the idea of curling up in their beds back home sounded all the more welcoming as they journeyed ever close to the Great Valley.

* * *

"This way!" one dinosaur shouted over to the pursuing group of others.

"No! I think it went this way! Over here!" another yelled pointing in another direction.

"Don't lose it! We must make sure we drive it out!" Mr Threehorn bellowed leading the large herd of Great Valley denizens as they searched the area.

"Please! Everyone! Just calm down for a moment," Grandpa Longneck entreated as he approached the riled group of dinosaurs as they meticulously scanned every open patch of ground for their target.

"Not this time Longneck! After what happened last time, there is no way I'm going to allow another intruder get into our Valley and cause more trouble!" Mr Threehorn growled glaring up at the elderly brontosaurus.

"Please Mr Threehorn. I understand that you are upset about the disappearance of your daughter, but we must not act so viciously towards those who enter our Great Valley," Grandpa Longneck pressed, "remember what happened with the Tinysauruses the last time we all when on a hateful rampage?"

"Another dinosaur I could tolerate Longneck. But not another one of those two-footed peace wreckers!" Mr Threehorn scowled, "they have done nothing but bring disaster to our Valley ever since that day they first arrived. And now they've come back, our peace has been disturbed once again and our children have been missing for days; all because of them! I will stand for their interfering with our lives no longer!" Grandpa Longneck sighed in defeat as a number of other Great Valley dinosaurs yelled angry cheers in favour of Mr Threehorn's aggressive means of deterrence. In most circumstances, he had been the peacekeeper of the Great Valley and managed to ensure that rash actions were never promoted as positive means of tackling a situation. But this time, even Grandpa Longneck felt a heavy burdening weight upon his mighty heart about this one. His treasured grandson had been snatched from before his and his partner's eyes and whilst clinging to the optimistic hope that Littlefoot was safe somewhere, somehow; the recent invasion of humans into the Great Valley spurred outbreaks of pain, upset and anger within the Great Valley's peaceful community. Even within a soul as deep and as caring as Grandpa Longneck. Even he felt tainted by the flurry of heated emotions brought on by the reappearance of humans to the Great Valley.

Suddenly, there was a fearful scream which snatched everyone's attention. Mr Threehorn looked up a high rising path heading up and towards the surrounding mountains as a small clutter of pebbles and gravel rolled down the path and stopped at his feet.

"There it is!" Mr Threehorn boomed signalling up the path.

"It's heading towards the High Cliffs!" a male parasaurolophus exclaimed as he watched the human scramble up the path in a panic.

"Let's make sure it gets out and stays out!" Mr Threehorn trumpeted as he started marching up the dusty path. A large chorus of roar and angry cheers filled the air as the search party all filed in behind Cera's father.

"Everyone! Please wait! Let's not be so aggressive! I'm sure we can work something out!" Grandpa Longneck hollered desperately but his tired voice was drowned out by the continuous roars of the group. Knowing his protests would not be heard this time, Grandpa Longneck bowed his head and sighed heavily. On hearing the thundering footfalls of another dinosaur behind him, Grandpa Longneck craned his neck around to find his partner walking up to stand beside him.

"What happened? Did you speak to them?" Grandma Longneck asked.

"I tried dear," Grandpa Longneck sighed, "but they are all much to bitter about the last human invasion to listen to sense."

"Where are they all now?"

"The human was spotted heading towards the High Cliffs near the mountains. Mr Threehorn and the others are ensuring that it is seen out of the Great Valley."

"But the human looked so young. Maybe it was looking for a safe place to stay?"

"I don't know dear. But the Great Valley dinosaurs have made it quite clear that they do not want any more humans in our homeland."

Grandma Longneck sighed just as her partner had. It was evident that, with the kidnapping of Littlefoot, and the disappearance of his friends, humans were never going to be trusted again. With no other options, the elderly pair watched as the pursuing dinosaurs chased the human up the steep path into the mountains. They silently pressed their heads together side by side, in an effort to comfort each other. The loss of Littlefoot had hurt them deeply but they still clung to the hope that they would see him again. Him and his friends.

* * *

"Look out! He is right behind us!" Ducky yelped in fear as Littlefoot galloped as fast as he could to keep ahead.

"Holy crap! Where the hell did he spring up from?" Kairyn shouted as he strafed a large boulder in the middle of his fleeing path. Glancing back, he saw the giant maw of the same stalking Tyrannosaurus Rex that had been chasing them their entire journey since Littlefoot and Kairyn first met it in the canyon.

"I can't believe that guy is STILL after us!" Kairyn exclaimed. Failing to acknowledge the road ahead of him, Kairyn's foot kicked a rock which broke his running gait and forced him to tumble down into the dirt. Controlling his roll, Kairyn paused on his hands and knees for a brief second just as the T-Rex let out a deafening roar to accentuate its already looming presence right behind him. Locked to the spot by fear and the piercing roar, Kairyn then saw another figure slide into view between him and the rampaging carnivore.

"C'mon! Get up human! Let's go!" Cera barked as she rammed Kairyn to standing with her nose horn. Snapping out of his trance, Kairyn scrambled to his feet. The T-Rex took a lunge at the pair of them forcing them to leap in opposite directions sideways to avoid being snapped up.

"Whew! Too close! Thanks Cera," Kairyn puffed as he and the triceratops ran alongside each other.

"Yeah well, don't let me have to pick you up off the floor again. I might not do it next time," Cera scorned as she ran at full stride. Kairyn nodded just before the pair of them made another evasive dart laterally to avoid the fallen boulders in their way and the yawning jaws of the predator behind them.

"C'mon guys! Maybe we can lose him in the tar pits ahead!" Littlefoot suggested once Kairyn and Cera were within earshot again. Without an alternative plan, the four sprinters charged down the sloping road and towards their next challenge.

The tar pits were not a welcoming location to enter having just fled from the fiery wrath of the active volcano. Instead of flowing rivers of superheated molten lava, the dank area had now become a crater punched land filled with countless pools of thick, jet black tar that simmered with viscous bubbles that expanded and peeled away as they popped on the surface; leaving a disgusting stench that lingered in the air. Even without the volcanic ash cloud plumed overhead, the sky over these dismal pits seemed to be forever enveloped in a dreary grey overcast of dense, dark clouds that made the land look all the more dangerous and sinister. Having clashed with the lava flows from the surrounding volcanoes, the pyroclastic rocks and debris bent and twisted around the tar pools creating some bizarrely sculpted pathways, bridges and overhangs which the gang used to the best of their abilities to put some distance between them and the chasing sharptooth.

The beast was still tailing them as they weaved their way through the tar pits. Although they were traversing the sullen land at speed, they were doing their utmost to evade the black bubbling pools. A wrongly placed footstep would undoubtedly see them ensnared by the tar and swallowed down whole into its bottomless crater of suffocating muck. Littlefoot hurdled over one pit that he could not steer around forcing a bump that threw Ducky and Petrie up and down as he landed. Ducky let out a frightful yelp as she saw the bounding sharptooth perform the same jump and its crashing footsteps thundered as it cleared the sticky trap. Suddenly, the gang was forced to a stop when they found a wide river of tar stretched straight across their path.

"Ahh crap! Now what?" Kairyn said breathlessly as he scanned the dimensions of the long pit that spanned seemingly infinitely in both directions. Its construct was bizarre by nature since it stretched out a channel like any normal river, but because of the viscosity of the tar, it didn't appear to flow at all. It simply sat still, blowing putrid smelling methane bubbles so thick in texture, it could have possibly even held any one of them without bursting. Not that any one of them wished to test this theory.

"That's too far to jump and we can't walk through it without being dragged down," Littlefoot said puffing sharply. His mind suddenly flashed back as he recalled this tarry river. It was the very same pit he, Spike and Ducky were forced to leap into on their maiden voyage to the Great Valley to save Petrie when he fell in. They almost didn't make it that time so the idea of doing again didn't seem very appealing.

"C'mon guys! What are we doing? That T-Rex is coming up fast!" Kairyn warned feeling the rumbling of the ground as the sharptooth trudged towards them. Then, the weakened Petrie let out a soft moan.

"L…land path…" he whispered.

"What? What's he saying?" Cera asked hurryingly.

"Land…path…" Petrie wheezed again pointing over to their right side, "it where…me fall off Cera…when me no could fly…" Ducky followed Petrie's finger and instantly understood. The wave of remembrance of her role in rescuing Petrie from the tar pit all that time ago replayed in her mind and the scene suddenly became recognisable again.

"Lookie there! The land path over the pit! Over there!" she squeaked. The gang all followed her signal to a bridge of fused pyroclastic rock that arched over the river of tar. There was a gaping hole in the middle of the irregularly formed bridge which Cera guiltily recalled how she had jeopardised her friend's life. She had made the jump but was completely oblivious to Petrie's tumble into the murky pit and subsequently left him as he battled to keep his head above the tar which began to pull him down the second he touched it. Shaking the silent guilty thought from her mind, Cera made a start for the bridge.

"Let's go already!" she ordered just as a bellowing roar shot out at them. All looking round behind them, they all gasped when they saw the pursuing sharptooth suddenly within pouncing range. They all dove to the right as a low lunging bite came down on them. Just missing Spike as he rolled out of the way, the T-Rex then tried its hardest to counterbalance its over emphasised attack before it landed face first in the bubbling tar pit. Unable to completely pull back in time, the giant beast felt its leading foot drop into the black muck but managed to yank it back out again before the tar got a chance to apply its dragging force. Growling lowly, the sharptooth glanced over to the right as it shook the sticky substance from its dipped foot and saw the children making a dash for the broken bridge. Roaring aloud again, it quickly gave chase as they began to climb its slope.

"Uh oh! Here he comes!" Kairyn warned. The crashing footfalls grabbed his attention while he awaited his turn to jump the break in the path.

"Hold on tight Ducky," Littlefoot said as he steadied himself to make his jump. Ducky wrapped one hand around Littlefoot's neck and the other around Petrie.

"We are ready Littlefoot. Yep, yep, yep!" Ducky announced. With a short sprint, Littlefoot made a clean sail as he cleared the hole and landed on the other half of the path.

"Come on Spike!" Littlefoot signalled across to the other side. The hefty spiketail took his turn and landed safely albeit a little clumsily. Kairyn hastily followed up with a dash and leap that almost overshot him into Littlefoot and Spike spectating on the second half of the bridge.

"All yours Cera!" Kairyn then shouted over but he took a second glance when he saw Cera frozen to her spot. She looked terrified.

"Cera! C'mon! What's the hold up?" Kairyn hollered over to her but she didn't seem to hear.

"What is wrong with her?" Ducky asked anxiously.

"Cera? What's the matter…? Cera!" Littlefoot called out but still she didn't move. Cera was firmly rooted to the ground. She gazed down over the edge into the bubbling tar below, frozen solid. Her mind flashed back to when she was last here. She saw herself in exactly the same position. She was younger but was cocky, confident and proud; feeling the bridge shake and shudder as she prepared to jump. Petrie was clung to her neck whimpering feebly. He rolled onto her leg as she ducked to launch herself over the gap. As she did, Petrie lost his grip on her and fell like a limp leaf into the tar below. She carried on without a care in the world almost glad that she was on her own again. She didn't need anybody. She could take care of herself.

"_Back then…Petrie almost didn't make it…because of me…I-…I left him behind…_" Cera's mind echoed, "_I was so stubborn back then; I didn't care that I almost lost one of my best friends. I led them here…into danger…and they almost………all because of me…I went the wrong way…and endangered them all…_" Cera's conscience was torturing her with replay after replay of her selfish actions that nearly got them all killed the previous time they walked this path. Her arrogance nearly saw Ducky and Spike burned alive by molten lava, Petrie almost drowned in tar and she, herself, was almost beaten to within an inch of her life by skull bashing dinosaurs that tracked her down into the caverns further down the road. All that needless threat of life, all because she was too proud to admit she had made a mistake. The realisation crippled Cera into a quivering statue staring down into what could have potentially been Petrie's grave.

"Cera! …Cera! For God's sake! Jump!" Kairyn yelled.

"Cera! CERA!" Littlefoot cried out despairingly. She was in a world of her own and the sharptooth was right behind her.

"It's my fault…I'm so sorry guys…" she whispered hoping that they were hear her but they were too busy yelling at her to jump over to notice. Suddenly, a voice spoke out to her that made her snap out of her self-punishing trance.

"Cera! Please…" it called to her. She recognised it instantly.

"Petrie?"

"Cera! Quick! You gotta jump! Me no wanna see you get hurt," Petrie said, his voice strained and weary. Cera looked up and across to her friends standing on the opposite half of the bridge. Petrie was beckoning to her from atop Littlefoot. He sounded drained but his eyes were wide and fearful. Petrie's voice seemed to quell the tormenting thoughts fogging Cera's mind. She snapped a glance behind as the sharptooth made its first step onto the bridge. It shook unhealthily; the underside crumbling under the massive weight of the beast as it approached Cera. In that moment, her rigid muscles slackened just enough for her to prime her jump.

"Jump Cera!" Petrie cried out one last time. Honouring his request, Cera took a few steps before leaping as far as she could. The flight was flawless and physically unchallenging for the threehorn but she landed before her friends panting hard as if she'd run a marathon just to get to the gap.

"Took your sweet time," Kairyn said smugly. Cera glared at him but didn't say anything. He wouldn't have understood the emotional turmoil that that single jump had bred inside her. Somehow, just hearing Petrie's voice and seeing him in Ducky's arms gave her enough respite to console her guilty conscience. Suddenly, another roar snatched their attention as they quickly realised that the T-Rex had made the jump but without hesitation.

"Look out!" Littlefoot shouted as the airborne sharptooth's leap threatened to come down direct on top of them. Turning tail, they all fled as the beast came crashing down on their side of the bridge which did not support the impact of its landing. The pyroclastic rocky structure crumbled with the force of the landing allowing the sharptooth and the gang to fall down towards the pit. Fortunately, Spike, Littlefoot and Kairyn managed to get to the bank just as the bridge collapsed. Cera however, who was bringing up the rear, did not get the chance to reach for solid ground as she and the sharptooth plummeted into the tar pool.

"Oh no! Cera fell-ed in!" Ducky squealed in horror, watching Cera paddling madly in the thick black muck.

"Help! Get me out!" Cera screamed, coughing as the foul tasting tar flooded her mouth whilst she struggled to move. She could already feel the glutinous liquid constricting her limbs and dragging her down. Not too far behind her was the sharptooth who was also writhing in the tar's grimy clutches. For the first time since it gave chase, it seemed to be more concerned about its own well being rather than seizing its targets.

"Cera! Grab my tail! Quick!" Littlefoot ordered as he reversed back into the tar pool to get as close as he could without being sucked in. Cera tried her best to reach for Littlefoot's offered lifeline but her front legs were pinned under the increasing weight of the pulling tar. The pressure pushing against her body was making it extremely difficult to even breathe.

"She's gonna go under! C'mon Cera! Grab on!" Kairyn cried as he watched her slowly slipping deeper. Cera made one last lurching snatch at Littlefoot's tail which was bobbing on the surface like a baited fishing line. With her feet bound under the tar, she threw her head forwards as far as she could and clamped her mouth down on Littlefoot's tail. Littlefoot yelped in pain but he was relieved to have made contact with his friend. Taking Littlefoot's hurting scream as an adequate signal, everyone leapt forwards to help pull Cera free from the tar pit. Spike and Kairyn held onto Littlefoot as the longneck tugged with all his strength. Ignoring the throbbing pain pulsing in his tail, he could feel Cera edging towards him. Slowly but surely Cera could feel her body becoming more mobile as her friends strained hard to pull her out. Once her front feet were free again, she threw them onto the bank as Littlefoot inched her closer and with one last effort, everyone grabbed any part of the floundering threehorn they could and tore her out from the tar and onto dry land.

Puffing and wheezing, the gang all looked at each other, finally relieved to have cheated death and defied danger yet again.

"Whew! Jeez! I really thought we weren't gonna win that one…" Kairyn sighed perched on his backside on the ground, flicking specks of tar from off his hands.

"Yeah…thanks guys. I owe you for that," Cera said once she'd gathered enough breath to speak again.

"What happened up there Cera? You completely froze," Littlefoot asked looking worried. He could tell that something had really hit her hard for her to be cemented to the spot like that. It was very unlike her not to act on a situation once it presented itself. Cera bowed her head and sighed. A threehorn normally always hit a problem head on with no hesitation but her friends could see past that proud prowess and knew that she was trouble. Before Cera could utter a word to reply, a familiar roar erupted from behind them. Glancing back at the tar pit, they could see that the monstrous sharptooth was still trapped in the tar and was still battling to free itself. It had already sunk down to its waist and appeared to be sinking further still.

"Man…I almost feel sorry for poor guy," Kairyn said watching the T-Rex as it growled in frustration.

"Well you can pull him out if you want but I think we should get out of here," Cera then said making for the path ahead, "I'm not waiting around for him to feed on me."

"Hey! I said _almost_ okay? I ALMOST feel sorry for him," Kairyn retorted as he followed the gang towards the caverns. As if to beseech to the group, the sharptooth let out one last roar as it watched its prey hurrying away again but they didn't listen. They headed onwards leaving the doomed predator to its grim fate.

As the group moved on, greatly relieved to have shaken off their stalker and happy now to be travelling at a much more relaxed pace, all eyes dropped on Cera as she walked in between the others with her head hung low.

"Wh-what? What are you all staring at?" Cera then barked when she realised the others were gazing at her.

"What happened back there Cera? You just didn't move," Littlefoot asked cautiously.

"Yeah. I haven't known you for very long but you completely locked up on that bridge. That doesn't seem like something that comes naturally from a girl like you," Kairyn piped in.

"It's- uhh…it was nothing…I'm fine now. Let's not worry about it," Cera said hurryingly trying to dodge the conversation.

"But we are worried Cera. You looked really scared," Ducky said soothingly.

"I…I- err…I wasn't scared… I was just- erm…" Cera babbled but not even her pride could mask this deep a feeling. With a defeated sigh, Cera stopped and the others huddled around her.

"I…I don't know what happened. Just this, whole place, made me think of our first journey to the Great Valley. When I led Petrie, Ducky and Spike through here and into danger," Cera began. She angled her eyes away from any faces but she could feel their worried stares burning into the back of her neck.

"Because of me, Ducky, Spike and Petrie nearly…" she trailed off. The gang shuffled uncomfortably as the silent dropped in. Neither of them could think of anything to say in that moment.

"I was so stupid…so selfish to lead my best friends into such horrible danger. But I just didn't care…and even when I was in trouble myself…you all came to rescue me. Even though I left you."

"We came to rescue you because you are our friend Cera," Ducky then said smiling at her. This made Cera finally look up as Littlefoot pitched in.

"Yeah. Believe it or not, you've changed since then Cera. You're not that kind of threehorn anymore. And you're our best friend; of course we were gonna come and rescue you," he said smiling also. Spike hummed and nodded, giving Cera a friendly lick just to emphasise his point. Cera giggled and offered a smile of her own.

"Thanks guys," she sighed gratefully as with a final nod each, they continued on their way.

"Do you really think I've changed since then?" Cera then asked.

"Oh yes, yes, yes!" Ducky said enthusiastically which made the threehorn smile, feeling appreciated.

"Well, you still get mad kinda quick," Littlefoot then said.

"What? I do not!" Cera snapped back; that swell feeling of appreciation instantly destroyed.

"Yeah you do. What about that time when we were hunting for the Tinysauruses and you got mad when I was asking you about your dad and Tria when she first came?" Littlefoot bantered smirking, "you got so mad you actually chased me!"

"You had that coming! You were asking too many questions!" Cera barked.

"And you still kinda bossy. Telling us what we do all the time," Petrie piped in from Ducky's securing hug.

"I am NOT bossy! You guys just don't know what to do so I tell you!" Cera retorted.

"And you argue all the time. Even when you don't have to," Littlefoot said grinning even wider.

"I DO NOT ARGUE!" Cera growled.

"You're arguing now," Kairyn said.

"You stay out of this human!" Cera shot at him.

"You always call me that. Do you actually know my name?"

"You? Uhh? It's…Ohh! Who cares! You're not important enough to remember anyway!" Cera barked.

"Ohh…that's cold Cera. Uncool," Kairyn said laughing.

"Okay that's enough! Will you guys quit picking on me?" Cera shouted. The gang all laughed aloud as they continued onwards towards the underground caverns. Their bond of friendship tested and reinforced.

"Hey guys! Remember when Cera wanted to go first on that vine over the canyon when we went to get Ducky from those flyers?" Littlefoot then said.

"Littlefoot! Don't you dare!" Cera shot interjectionally forcing the gang to erupt into another fit of laughter.


	27. An Epic Journey's End

Chapter 26: An Epic Journey's End

With their ordeal of fleeing from the volcanic eruptions and leaping the viscous tar pits, whilst narrowly escape get another sharptooth attack, finally over, Kairyn, Littlefoot and his friends made their way down into a deep network of caverns that stole them from the open air. Despite their damp and claustrophobic enclosure, the intertwining paths through oddly shaped walls and jagged archways offered a more relaxed atmosphere compared to the chaos of the constantly streaming volcanoes they had recently departed from. The sound of rushing water echoed through the tight air spaces as the gang, once again, allowed their minds to be encapsulated in the wondrous sensation of hindsight as they reminisced on yet another noteworthy event in their maiden voyage to the Great Valley.

"So lemme get this straight," Kairyn started holding his forehead in his hand somewhat dumbfounded by what he had just heard, "so Cera wandered off, got chased by these 'domehead' dinosaurs, was about to finish her off…and you guys come in and save her as a WHAT?"

"A tar monster," Petrie piped in matter-of-factly.

"A tar monster?" Kairyn repeated sounding surprised yet greatly confused.

"Yup! We were all covered and sticky coz of the tar when we rescued Petrie from the pit. When we found Cera being chased by the domeheads, we kinda just jumped on each other's backs and scared them away," Littlefoot said grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh yes, yes, yes! Spike even found a bone and held it in his mouth to make us seem even scarier," Ducky continued. Spike beamed and hummed happily as Ducky patted him on the top of the head.

"We so scary, we even scare Cera," Petrie then said giggling lightly. He was obviously still in a bit of pain from his earlier injury but he seemed a little more interactive now than before.

"I wasn't THAT scared!" Cera immediately interjected, "besides, I said that I knew it was you guys all along anyway."

"Sure you did Cera," Littlefoot said with taunting sarcasm, "I remember you were screaming for help so loud, it shook the whole cave."

"Cera? Screaming for help?" Kairyn reiterated as he eyed the pouting threehorn sideways, "wow! Who would've thought eh?"

"Watch it human!" Cera snapped staring back at him. Kairyn held up his hands defensively to show his submission to Cera's anger but he couldn't help but grin at the idea of Cera yelling for help like a damsel in distress.

"So, how far is it now? To your Great Valley I mean," Kairyn asked trying to stifle his cheeky smirk.

"It shouldn't be far now," Littlefoot said, "after the waterfall and the pools, we have the high cliffs to climb then we should be there."

"You seem to remember all this pretty well despite only ever doing this once," Kairyn then said.

"Well, it's not the first time we've been out in the Mysterious Beyond on adventures you know," Cera quickly boasted.

"No it is not. But it was our very first adventure we had together. A very special adventure. Our first adventure where we all worked really hard and became friends too," Ducky said profoundly. Kairyn nodded in silent understanding. The depth of the friendship between these five dinosaurs was incomprehensible to most but was one bond no force on earth could break. A quality he found as impressive as it was heart-warming.

Ducking through another low archway, the gang rounded a corner where they passed a waterfall on their right hand side. Just in front of the cool, cascading water was a tiny spot of land, roughly circular, that sat defiantly before the roaring falls. The gang past it without a second thought except for Cera who glanced back at the flat topped rock and paused for a moment. Almost like a projected image, as Cera blinked, saw a much younger version of herself perched on that very same rock, crouched and huddled in a ball gently sobbing. It was the first time she had felt her pride suffer a massive blow for heading in the wrong direction and endangering her friends; the grim realisation of her foolhardy actions taking their toll. After the mocking laughter of the others once they had saved her from the domehead assault, the reality of it all suddenly hit home with crushing force. Ignoring their pleading cries, she had curled up on the drizzle covered rock and felt her character slowly morphing into a much deeper entity as she wept. Cera felt a cold, damp shiver tumble through her as she thought about how much that one incident had changed her. It opened her up to realise she wasn't quite as invincible as she would have liked to have thought she was. Still, she was glad for the change that that instance had brought. It made her a better dinosaur and a much better friend to those she cared about.

"Cera? You coming?" Littlefoot's voice then echoed from somewhere within the caverns.

"Oh! Erm…yeah! Just a second!" Cera shouted back. She glanced back at the rock but the ghostly mental image of her younger self had evaporated into thin air. With a silent nod and an inward smile, Cera quickly trotted up the path to catch her friends.

As Cera pulled up alongside the group, she found them staring across what looked like a small lake with a deep black pit in the centre of its clear blue waters. As the lake stretched outwards, the roof of the caverns peeled away to reveal daylight once again that pierced the glassy surface with ghostly white beams that appeared trapped beneath the dissipate ripples.

"Ahh man! You said we had to pass a pool Littlefoot, but I didn't think you meant we'd have to go THROUGH one!" Kairyn whined.

"What is the matter Kairyn? Can you not swim?" Ducky asked.

"What? Oh no, it's not that, I can swim just fine. I…I just didn't think we'd have to get wet is all," Kairyn whimpered.

"That's what you're worried about? Ahh…quit acting like such a baby!" Cera said apathetically. Kairyn furrowed his brow at her but Littlefoot quickly got between them.

"C'mon guys. It's not far now," he pressed optimistically as he waded into the water up to his knees, "we just need to cross to the other side then we're on the home straight."

"Vertical home straight you mean," Kairyn said as he recalled Littlefoot mentioning the ascent up the cliffs to reach their homeland.

"Is there anything that you don't complain about?" Cera shot at him.

"Is there anything you don't have an answer for?" Kairyn retorted back. Ducky and Petrie both glanced at each other and bore their teeth in uneasy grins.

"Knock it off you two! Quit arguing all the time!" Littlefoot barked as he waddled into the water a little deeper; the chilly waters forced a creeping shiver up through his feet and down to both his head and tail, "let's just get to the other side so we can head for home." Cera snorted and flicked her tail directly vertical as she waded into the water. Kairyn scoffed before tiptoeing daintily into the water, cringing as he felt his clothes soaking up the water like a dry sponge. As much as she would have loved to have dived straight into the welcoming pool, Ducky remained atop Spike holding onto Petrie who had started to quiver slightly. The last memory he'd had of this particular pool was being dragged below the surface, pinched in the teeth of a stalking sharptooth similar to the one that had been chasing them this time around. An act he was hoping he'd never had to repeat. He was still too hurt to fly but felt slightly relieved to have Ducky clamped onto him for good measure.

Having walked out as far as the underwater shelf would permit; the gang all kicked off the ground and swam, as best they could, to the bank on the other side. The warm rays of the sun beamed down through the towering cliffs that hung above them as, one by one, they pulled themselves onto the shore.

"That wasn't so bad," Littlefoot beamed as he shook and flicked himself dry.

"Speak for yourself," Kairyn grumbled as he waddled up the bank, completely soaked from head to toe. Cera muffled a girlish giggle as she watched Kairyn decant the excess water from his drenched trainers.

"Where to now?" Kairyn then asked as he started to wring the sleeves of his hooded jacket before placing it back on with a sloppy slap.

"We climb up here," Littlefoot announced as he made for a path that snaked its way up the cliff side. Falling in line behind him, the rest of the gang trudged up the sloping path leaving their damp footprints in the sand. Kairyn looked up at the path and saw that it weaved its way up towards the sky. A sinking sense of dread tied his stomach in a thick knot when he traced the path along and realised that it was not fully intact all the way up. Sections in the middle looked as if they had been eroded away and left floating ledges overhanging the giant pool they had just crossed. No doubt, on reaching these broken parts they would have to risk jumping from one side to the other. He wanted to say something but having already worn out his quota of whining complaints already, he sighed heavily and kept his thoughts to himself.

With the welcoming knowledge that their beloved homeland was just beyond the towering walls of this shattered canyon, it granted an excited buzz to the dinosaur children. They were almost home. They had found each other and overcome impossible odds to return home safely once again. They climbed the steep, sloping path higher and higher making the view over the side seem more and more daunting every time one of them dared to sneak a peek at intermittent intervals. Soon, the gang came to a brief stop as, much to Kairyn's fear, they stood before a gaping hole in the path that partially bridged the lake below. Quietly questioning his own sanity as to why he was deliberately putting himself in danger's way yet again, he watched as Littlefoot, Cera and Spike all vaulted over the hole in the path one after the other almost like they'd practiced and perfected the technique. Kairyn's shoulders drooped as he looked hopeless into Littlefoot's eyes that were warm and ablaze with the familiar friendly gaze Kairyn had come to recognise. A firm, reassuring nod from the longneck, complete with confident smile, granted Kairyn the courage to dash at the open edge and leap the gap with ease. Touching down on the opposite side, Kairyn stood hunched over on his knees, took a deep breath in and exhaled it forcefully as he looked up and found Littlefoot's face again.

"See? That wasn't so bad," he said as Kairyn stood upright again. Kairyn smiled but then flinched as a trickle of dirt and stones bounced off his nose. Bewildered, Kairyn snorted and brushed his face clean with his hand just as a scream rang out overhead.

"What the hell was that?" Kairyn said alarmed as the scream echoed within the canyon walls.

"Lookie! Up there!" Ducky yelped pointing above them. Everyone's eyes shot skywards as they saw something dangling over the edge of the path a fair way higher up.

"What is that thing?" Cera said as they watched some sort of animal battling to keep its grip on the edge it was clung to. The gang all gasped when the creature slipped a little and let out another fearful scream.

"Is…is that…another human?" Kairyn then said astounded.

"It sound like…like a girl…" Petrie slurred as he tried to make out the features of the flailing human. Kairyn's mind suddenly started spiralling at Petrie's words the more he stared upwards.

"_No….it can't be…_" he thought.

"Come on! We've gotta help her!" Littlefoot ordered as he took off up the path towards the wailing girl; the gang in close pursuit. Leaping another hole in the path, this time at speed and without hesitation, they began to draw close to the girl who was still screeching in terror. Still a couple of levels below her, Kairyn stopped and looked up at the girl from her back. He instantly recognised the long flowing blonde hair that whipped violently with the wind and her frantic thrashing.

"_I don't believe it! It IS her!_" Kairyn's mind seemed to erupt as he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted up to her.

"Melissa! Melissa!" The girl seemed to stop squirming on hearing his voice and awkwardly turned to look down at him.

"Kairyn?" she yelped breathlessly.

"You know her?" Littlefoot asked awestruck to hear the two humans exchange names.

"Well…yeah…in a way," Kairyn stammered, "but what the hell is she doing way out here?"

"Save the stupid questions for after we've rescue her!" Cera barked as she barged past their gawking positions. Following her lead, the others chased Cera up and around a sloping U-bend, up to where Melissa was hanging over the side. With Cera in front, she made a dash for the girl's wildly swinging hand as she tried desperately to clasp the path again. Cera shot her head forward to grab Melissa's wrist but her mouth closed around nothing but air as Melissa's grip weakened and she fell. Cera looked over the edge and gasped as she watched the girl fall to the lake below, horrified that she'd missed her chance to save her. Melissa's scream caught the other's attention as they were rounding the bend to join Cera. Kairyn, who was at the back of the line, shot his gaze back to the level below, just in time to see Melissa land heavily on the path they had just come from and began to roll over the side again. His mind blanked for a second as the empty void was quickly filled with the resonating voice that had been speaking to him the entire journey.

"Hurry! She will fall! Catch her!" it ordered. Without wasting a second, Kairyn spun around and made for Melissa who was now slipping over the edge despite her panicked clawing of the ground to prevent herself from falling again. She held up one hand to Kairyn as he sprinted to her.

"Help me!" she wailed as her gripped hand broke away from the floating path.

"NOOO!" Kairyn screamed as he swung his arms back and dove towards her, throwing his top half over the open side. The dinosaur kids all gasped as they saw Kairyn snatch at the girl and catch her by one hand in midair. Dangling over the open water below, Melissa shot a terrified mien up to Kairyn who was gritting his teeth with the strain.

"Melissa! Gimme your other hand! Grab on to me!" he yelled throwing out his second hand to her. Doing as instructed, Melissa swung her free hand up and clasped onto Kairyn's right wrist. As she hung on, Melissa seemed to stop panicking and she even smiled at the idea of Kairyn rescuing her. Kairyn looked into Melissa's deep blue eyes and found himself lost for a moment. For that split second, his own fear and panic dissipated and he seemed to be in awe of his sudden act of heroism. The move was almost instinctive; like he didn't even have to think about it. The voice had given him the command but he reacted like a bolt of lightning without even considering the danger he'd be putting himself in. The more he thought about it, the more he was able to recollect other times when he'd acted in similar ways. Like a knee-jerk reaction. No thought involved whatsoever and he'd done something he'd normally never dare attempt. His brief thought was brought to an abrupt end when he saw something move beyond where Melissa was hanging in his hands.

"No…no way!" Kairyn gasped through his clenched teeth. Reading the horrified look on Kairyn's blood-rushed face, Melissa glanced down past her dangling feet and her eyes widened fearfully once again as a low growl shot up between the mountainous walls.

"Oh no!" Littlefoot wailed as he stopped in his tracks as he began doubling back towards Kairyn. He had glanced over the side and seen what had been making the noise.

"It is him again!" Ducky exclaimed Spike pulled up alongside Littlefoot and Cera. Down at the very bottom of the tight walled canyon, wading in the shallow water, was their very same stalking Tyrannosaurus Rex from before.

"How did he get out of the tar pits?" Cera cried as they all watched it skulking beneath them. Suddenly, it glanced up at them and stretched its giant maw to let out a deafening roar.

"Oh no! He is coming up to get us!" Ducky whimpered as they saw the beast trudge over to the foot of the path and begin making its way up.

"C'mon! We've gotta help Kairyn!" Littlefoot said as he leapt forwards. With the tranquillity of his recent thoughts destroyed by the arrival of the sharptooth, Kairyn was now trying to heave Melissa up onto the path in a hysterical rush. He was relieved to see Littlefoot and his friends arrive either side of him but he felt a jolt on his arms as they looked down over the edge. Melissa was flinching at the prehistoric faces staring down at her.

"Don't worry! They're friends," Kairyn quickly assured her as he felt his arms straining to keep her from falling.

"Ready guys?" Littlefoot asked as he took a firm hold of the back of Kairyn's jacket with his teeth. Everyone got into place, each grabbing any square inch of Kairyn's jacket they could bite on to.

"Okay guys! When you're ready," Kairyn said trying to look up and behind at the painful pinches he could feel in his back.

"PULL!" Littlefoot shouted through his mouthful of fabric. In one synchronised motion, the dinosaurs began pulling on Kairyn which, in turn, reeled Melissa back up towards the floating path. Much to her relief, Melissa was back on solid ground in no time.

"Melissa! Are you alright?" Kairyn immediately said once he could safely let go of her.

"Yeah…I'm fine," Melissa wheezed as she reclaimed her lost breath. She gazed apprehensively at the surrounding crowd behind Kairyn unsure of what to make of their presence.

"Don't worry about them, they're cool," Kairyn said quickly with a smile.

"But...who are they?" Melissa stuttered. Kairyn was about to open his mouth to answer when they all felt a tremendous rumbling of the ground along with the dull thuds of heavy footfalls.

"What the?" Kairyn yelled in disbelief. Glancing over the open side, the group saw the sharptooth wasn't completely following the path. It has found a much more efficient way of scaling the long, snaking cliff side path.

"It's jumping up the sides!" Littlefoot cried in horror when he witnessed the T-Rex was using the tight U-turning bends at the ends of the path to hop up one level at a time rather than following its winding track.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Cera protested scowling furiously.

"You wanna go down there and tell him that? I don't think he cares that much," Kairyn said sarcastically.

"We've gotta run! Let's go!" Littlefoot urged signalling up the path in the opposite direction.

"Can you stand?" Kairyn asked Melissa as he took her by the arm and helped lift her up.

"Yeah…I think so," she replied finding her feet again.

"Looks like we're gonna have to save the intros for later," Kairyn said he led her after Littlefoot. Melissa didn't look entirely convinced but she allowed Kairyn to pull her towards the fleeing gang as they hurried up the rest of the mountainside.

The group, and their newest addition, charged up the broken canyon path as fast as they could, trying their utmost to keep away from the borderless sides. The sharptooth was fast catching them as it continued to leap up one coiled level at a time until was it forced to follow the path due to overhead blockades. The fleeing group could feel its thundering footsteps rippling through the ground as they rounded another U-bend to begin the path's next level up. Kairyn gulped nervously as he saw another hole punched into the floating walkway approaching. One by one they kept their speed up and leapt over the gap in the floor. Kairyn let out a fearful whoop as the sharptooth took a sneaky leap up at him through the hole in the floor as he was in mid-flight. Fortunately for him, the path was still too high for the giant beast to get to him but it did alarm him at how close the stalking carnivore was getting.

"This guy's getting dangerously close," Kairyn warned as he and Melissa caught up with the others.

"It's not much farther now! We're nearly at the top!" Littlefoot said breathlessly.

"Lookie! I can see the tunnel that leads to the Great Valley up there, I can!" Ducky squeaked jovially pointing up to the open mouth of a cave not too far above them, "we are nearly home! We are, we are!" All five dinosaur kids glanced up to where Ducky was signalling and a warm flush of relief flooded through each of them. Ducky's words could not have been truer. They were almost home. Lost in the joyous thought of being reunited with their families again, none of them seemed to notice the T-Rex just below them as it repeated its sneaky shortcut and hopped up another level. In its leap, it rammed into the canyon wall as it regained its balance forcing a quaking shiver through the path. The tremor was strong enough to jolt the fleeing gang from off their feet. Ducky was still pointing up at the cave entrance when Spike tripped and stumbled with the quaking ground, forcing her to throw her hands behind her to keep her balance. By using her hands to steady herself, she released her mothering hold on Petrie who was bumped up by Spike's stumble and threw him off over the side. Petrie let out a terrified cry as he fell off the trail and down towards the sharptooth below.

"Petrie!" Ducky cried as she could only watch her friend tumble down towards certain doom. The rest of the group had only just righted themselves when they heard the commotion behind them.

"Oh no! PETRIE!" Littlefoot wailed.

"He's falling straight towards the sharptooth!" Cera said anxiously before shouting down to him, "Fly Petrie! Fly!"

"He can't fly! He's probably still too weak from his injury!" Kairyn said forebodingly. The gang all watched in horror as they watched the little pteranodon spiralling down out of control.

Petrie was trying his hardest to break out of his freefall. He'd quickly realised that he was heading straight for the sharptooth whose jaw was already slackened ready to snap him up once he was close enough.

"Urgh…nyah…me…gotta…fly!" Petrie strained as he spun uncontrollably through the air. His body was aching terribly as he attempted to stretch out his wings. They seemed reluctant to extend no matter how hard he tried and the pain was excruciating.

"Nyah…come on…me…gotta…get wings…out…" Petrie continued to struggle but his muscles were so tightly seized that they refused to pull his wings out.

"PETRIE!" a chorus of voices then shot down to him. His friends were crying out to him and their fearful tones were laced to expect the worst. Their voices rang in Petrie's head as he gave his wings one last mighty push. Something clicked sending a shooting pain through his arms but Petrie finally felt his wings reach out to maximum span allowing an updraft of wind to catch him and slow him down just as the T-Rex took a snap at him with its razor sharp teeth. Tucking his feet up under him, Petrie felt a rush of the beast's jaws pass just inches from him as it clamped shut. Frustrated by its miss, the sharptooth then let out an irritated roar up at Petrie as he hovered just out of reach. The jet of exhaled air from the beast's gaping maw caught Petrie in its updraft and catapulted the little flyer straight up, back the way he had tumbled from. Petrie let out a frightful yell but as the strength of the gusty blast subsided and he regained control, Petrie found himself afloat just above where his friends had been watching his freefall.

"I'm flying…I'm flying!" Petrie gasped astounded to himself. His friends just below him all beamed with delight at Petrie's escape as he threw himself into an impressive aerial loop-the-loop as if he'd just learned to fly all over again.

"I'M FLYYYINNNNGGGG!" Petrie cried overjoyed. The gang's wide smiles all quickly dissolved as they heard the sharptooth let out another booming, aggravated roar at them. Without a second thought, all seven of them turned tailed and fled up the remainder of the path. The sharptooth has quickened its pace and was after them in a flash.

After traversing another few levels, the gang all came to one last jump over the lake that was now an extremely frightful distance below them. The group all hesitated since this jump looked much further than any of the previous jumps they had made whilst climbing the floating pathway. On top of that, the path seemed to disappear behind the canyon wall so there was no telling where it led.

"What now?" Kairyn asked hurryingly.

"I dunno! I can't see where the land path goes," Littlefoot said anxiously as he scanned the opposite side.

"The tunnel leading to the Great Valley is just over there. There's gotta be a way to get over to it," Cera said gesturing up to the cave entrance just on the opposite side of the canyon. They were desperately close.

"To the where?" Melissa then asked sounding a little unnerved.

"The Great Valley. It's their homeland, where they all live," Kairyn explained quickly.

"Hurry! Sharptooth getting closer!" Petrie warned hovering just to their left side.

"Littlefoot, come on! We don't have time! Hurry up and jump!" Cera urged. Littlefoot still wasn't convinced but he could hear the pursuing beast's heavy footsteps getting louder behind them. Shaking the niggling uncertainty from his mind, Littlefoot primed himself to make the jump. Despite earlier concerns, he and his friends made it across. Now all safely on the other side, the group came to fork in their path which was separated by the canyon wall that towered up in between the two routes.

"Which way do we go?" Ducky asked nervously. Before anyone could answer her, there was a rush of wind and a gigantic crashing thud just off to their left as the sharptooth landed right next to them.

"Right, right , right! GO RIGHT!" Kairyn yelled shepherding the static group down the right fork since the T-Rex had landed directly in front of the left hand route. The group let out a terrified scream as the beast made a lunging snap at them but missed as they sprinted away. The group ran along the path which seemed to double back out over the lake again.

"We are going the wrong way! The tunnel to the Great Valley is over there!" Ducky said as she pointed out to her right to where they were supposed to be heading. They seemed to be travelling further from it.

"We've got no choice Ducky! That sharptooth is right behind us!" Cera bantered but she quickly dug her heels into the ground when she found herself about to run head first into a solid wall. The others copied her as they all slid to a stop and gasped in horror.

"Ahh crap! A dead end!" Kairyn cursed as he gazed up at the canyon wall that offered nowhere to climb nor any way around it.

"We're trapped!" Littlefoot cried. This time, there really was no way out.

"And we were so close to getting home!" Ducky said feebly but there was nothing for it. They had run themselves into a corner and with only one route back, which the sharptooth was already advancing along, they truly were stuck. The gang held their breath as they turned around to see the sharptooth already making its straight dash towards them. The group all huddled together, each feeling the other quivering in fear. It looked like their luck had finally run out when they were so close to their goal. Such a cruel fate. The thunderous steps boomed ever closer as the gang let out a terrified scream as it lowered its head to deliver the killing blow. The group huddled tighter and slammed their eyes shut, unable to look. Suddenly, there was strange sound that rang out over the area. A high-pitch ring echoed out over the canyon followed by the crunching of dense earth. The gang all felt the ground give a sudden shudder forcing their eyes open again. Looking out to the aerial walkway linking the two walls of the canyon, the sharptooth had let out a wailing cry before disappearing through the floor. Amazed by what they had just witnessed, they all quickly leaned over the side to see the sharptooth freefalling down the centre of the canyon surrounded large chunks of rock. The mighty beast smashed through the floating pathways that bridged the two canyon walls, obliterating them as it hit them, as it continued to plummet straight for the black centre of the lake below. With one last roaring cry, the sharptooth hit the water with an almighty splash along with a supersized chuck of rock that was easily bigger than the beast itself. The rock landed square in the beast's stomach and weighed it down. In an instant, their stalker was gone; sunk beneath the surface of the lake and swallowed from sight by the black centre of the lake's great depth. Only a ring of bubbles was left to signify the sharptooth's whereabouts which was slowly dissipating.

"My God! What the hell happened?" Kairyn breathed as they all slowly backed away from the edge.

"Looks like…the land path broke away from underneath him…" Littlefoot said almost whispering. Just then, Littlefoot saw something flicker out of the corner of his eye. He snapped a quick look to where the flash was but it had disappeared. The gang all looked at each other flabbergasted. They could hardly believe their luck as they started to double back the way they had come. Somehow, the five dinosaur children gained a simultaneous flashback of their past journey. An overwhelming sense of déjà vu that they all felt at the same time and by the look they read on each other's faces, they knew they were all thinking the same thing. It was like history repeating itself over again. Leaping over the newly formed hole in the path, they made their way back to the fork in the road where they unanimously opted for the other route which they traced directly up to the tunnel entrance that led up into the Great Valley. Along the way, and once the introductions Kairyn had promised were made official, Kairyn didn't waste any time in questioning Melissa as to how she managed to arrive in the dinosaur world.

"So, how did you get here?" Kairyn started.

"I…I don't know. I don't remember," Melissa stammered, "I went to the security station when you ran off to find your dad. I was with Mr Madden for a while and he got me to my grandfather's lab to keep me safe. I guess I blacked out after that."

"Blacked out? So what happened when you came to?" Kairyn pressed.

"When I woke up, I was on a high, dusty trail. I followed a path down and came to a clearing full of dinosaurs. I thought I was dreaming to start with, especially when I heard them talking to each other. I wasn't sure about the dinosaurs so I stayed hidden in a nearby forest as I walked around. Eventually I was spotted and I was chased by a whole herd of them."

"You were chased?" Kairyn gawked.

"Yeah. They chased me up the path I came from and out into the mountains. I managed to lose them but I got lost. I wandered around for hours not knowing where I was until I slipped and fell over the side of the path."

"That's when we found you," Littlefoot then said.

"Yeah. I have to admit, I was pretty surprised to hear you shouting my name Kairyn" Melissa then said.

"Well, I was just as shocked to find you, of all people, to be dangling off the side of cliff," Kairyn said half laughing.

"Yeah, weird huh," Melissa said with a smile, "so where are we going anyway?"

"The Great Valley; it is our home. It is a wonderful place to live, yep, yep, yep," Ducky said sweetly.

"I've been travelling all over the place with these guys. Littlefoot found me in an oasis out in a desert. I kinda freaked out the first time and ran away but I bumped into him again in a canyon. That's where we first ran into that killing machine that was chasing us before," Kairyn explained.

"Really? What were you doing out there Littlefoot?" Melissa asked.

"I woke up there. I really don't know how I got there," Littlefoot replied.

"Turns out, that big surprise that had arrived at Keltech that day when we went to see our folks? It was Littlefoot. He was transported to our time somehow. I found him asleep in the cryo-room before all that crazy stuff happened that brought us both here," Kairyn said smiling. Melissa gasped and flicked her eyes from Kairyn to Littlefoot in disbelief.

"What? You see Littlefoot in human world?" Petrie cawed in surprise. This made Cera instantly flare up as she stopped the marching group in its tracks and stood defiantly in front of Kairyn.

"So YOU were the ones who kidnapped him!" she shot dangerously. Kairyn and Melissa both reeled back in shock.

"Whoa…what? Kidnapped? We didn't kidnap Littlefoot! Are you crazy?" Kairyn said defensively. Something then clicked and he then turned to Littlefoot, "You never said you were kidnapped!"

"I…I didn't know! All I remember was being in the Great Valley, warning my friends about humans being in there, then I woke up by that water out in the sand lands in the Mysterious Beyond. I don't remember anything before that," Littlefoot replied.

"Cera, I'm telling you the truth. I had no idea that Littlefoot had been kidnapped! I didn't even know how he got to Second London in the first place. I just found him by complete mistake!" Kairyn protested.

"Cera, I do not think Kairyn is lying, nope, nope, nope!" Ducky beseeched the fiery threehorn.

"Even if I did kidnap him, why would I be helping him get back to his home?" Kairyn then added. Cera continued to stare into Kairyn's face that was begging her for an understanding. As much as she opposed the idea, she seemed convinced that he was telling the truth.

"Fine…maybe you didn't," Cera said slowly as she turned away to allow them to continue walking forwards, "but that doesn't mean that I trust you."

"Okay fine. Whatever you say," Kairyn said waving at her defensively. With one last snort, Cera turned to face the front and marched on. Exhaling sharply, Kairyn nervously followed keeping a safe distance between himself and Cera's stomping pace near the front of the group.

After a long, arduous climb, the group finally found themselves on the approach to the tunnel. The gateway Littlefoot and his friends had passed through on their maiden voyage to discover the beauty and splendour of the Great Valley for the first time. A buzz of excited energy shot through their weary bodies as they quickened their pace and entered the tunnel. Surprised by their sudden dash, Kairyn and Melissa brought up the rear as they found themselves being left behind in the joyous moment. Sprinting through the tunnel, the gang rounded the final corner and out onto a high rocky platform. Creeping closer to the edge of their earthy pedestal, Littlefoot and his friends stood side by side and marvelled once again at the revelation of their beloved Great Valley. Despite seeing it from many different angles on every occasion they entered the Valley from an adventure, this particular view always seemed the most impressive. Only an orchestral symphony could enhance this majestic scene and make the sight seem even more marvellous than it already was. Littlefoot and his friends could feel their weary hearts swell with pride and joy at the wondrous scene of beholding their beautiful Great Valley once again after all their hardships. Another test of friendship and courage they had conquered and emerged victorious, overcoming all odds yet again. Kairyn trotted up to the gang as they admired the view and he too was blown away by what he saw.

"Wow! Is this it?...Is this your home?" he just managed to say. The view had almost completely robbed him of his voice.

"Uh huh. This is our home. Welcome to the Great Valley," Littlefoot announced proudly. Kairyn couldn't believe what he was witnessing. Inside the gigantic mountainous bowl was a land smothered with greenery as far as the eye could see. Running down the centre of the land was a gleaming river of deep blue that branched out to all areas of the valley. All the while, it shimmered like diamonds sat just below its surface. It was an herbivorous paradise accented by the glowing rays of the afternoon sun. Even the very clouds that floated overhead seemed to add a beautiful dynamic to the blissful and picturesque landscape. Truly a natural wonder to behold.

"My God! It's more beautiful than I ever imagined!" Kairyn said breathtaken, "No wonder you adore this place. I've never seen anything like it!" Littlefoot nodded humbly at Kairyn's words.

"Whad'dya think Melissa? Quite a view huh?" Kairyn said ecstatically. Melissa however didn't seem to answer. She seemed apprehensive about what she was looking at.

"Well? What are we waiting for? Let's get down there!" Kairyn yelled happily. The rest of the gang cheered as they hopped down the mountain path.

Having dashed down the path to re-enter the Valley, the gang's happy sprint was slowed when they suddenly heard the sound of panicked screaming.

"What was that?" Cera then asked. The dinosaur kids all glanced at each other looking rather concerned.

"It sounds like someone's in trouble," Littlefoot deduced just as another wave of screams rang out.

"It sound like a lot of dinosaurs in trouble!" Petrie then said nervously.

"What could be wrong?" Kairyn asked but as another set of terrified cries rang out, the group all broke into a run to get down into the Valley as quick as they could.

"Melissa, come on! Let's go!" Kairyn summoned to the girl who stood a little further up the hill. She looked nervous about entering the Great Valley but Kairyn was too preoccupied to notice as he grabbed her hand and led her down the dusty path.

Touching ground on the grassy verge of the Green Meadow, the gang all looked around to see the open aired field in utter chaos. Scores of adult dinosaurs were running in all directions as if to be fleeing from something.

"What's going on? It looks like everyone's been frightened by something," Littlefoot said as the rest of the group rolled in beside him. Gazing out into the open field, every dinosaur was fleeing for their lives trying to avoid some unrecognised entity.

"What could it be? Do you think it is a sharptooth?" Ducky asked quickly.

"No! Worse!" Kairyn then said pointing towards the middle of the grassy meadow. His tone was dulled and unemotional. Following his finger, the gang all stared into the centre of the field and saw black shrouded figure huddled in the grass. It slowly stood up and revealed a long, glistening blade in its right hand as it reached full height.

"It's…the Black Ghost!" Littlefoot gasped in shock. As if to react to hearing his name, the Black Ghost slowly turned and looked over his left shoulder towards the group of humans and dinosaurs standing at the foot of the dusty path. Within his darkened hood, two glowing red eyes pulsed menacingly.

"What's he doing here?" Cera barked. Suddenly, the Black Ghost gripped the side of his head and started wailing. He seemed to be struggling to maintain his composure as he arched over backwards still clasping his temples. After a few seconds, he stopped screaming and he turned to face Littlefoot, Kairyn and the others. They all flinched as they saw the beady red lights in his hood suddenly shine brighter.

"Targets acquired," he droned monotonically before ducking down to kick off the ground and began dashing at them at phenomenal speed. His sword lifted high to deliver a kill-ridden blow.


	28. A Pledge for Sanctuary

Chapter 27: A Pledge for Sanctuary

The Green Meadow of the Great Valley was a troubled sight. A sight that Littlefoot and his friends were not accustomed to as they slid to a halt having descended from the mountain paths to re-enter their luscious homeland for the first time in days. Terror and panic had broken out amongst the peaceful dinosaur denizens which had them all charging and fleeing in all directions. The gang scanned the fields in dumbstruck horror unable to fathom why such an uproar had emerged in their blissful valley. That was until their eyes had fallen upon an entity that clearly did not occur naturally amongst the Great Valley's populous.

"It's…it's the Black Ghost," Littlefoot gasped in shock. The black clad shadowy figure was stood perched in the centre of the field; his sword drawn at his side glistening in the beaming sunlight. Then, as if to react to hearing his name, the Black Ghost turned and glanced over at the five dinosaur kids and their two human visitors. Despite the distance, deep within the empty void of the Black Ghost's hood, two pulsing red eyes glared over to them. The group flinched as the demonic lights stared almost right through them.

"What's he doing here?" Cera asked rather disgusted by his sudden presence. This sparked a series of fitful screams and thrashes from the Black Ghost as he gripped the side of his head and writhed in pain. He wailed to the heavens, trying in any way to get the suffering to subside. After a few seconds, he eventually stopped and turned to look back at Littlefoot, Kairyn and the others. The glowing red eyes glimmered brighter but this time, they were brimmed with hatred and malice.

"Targets acquired…" the Black Ghost droned tunelessly. In that instance, he then ducked slightly before kicking off the ground. He was making a beeline for the young group which his sword raised threateningly. The seven of them were glued to their spot unable to move as the Black Ghost shot towards them at unnatural speed. He was moving so fast it almost appeared that he was flying through the wavering blades of grass.

"He is coming this way!" Ducky finally managed to squeak. None of them seemed to be able to take their eyes of him as he raged on towards them.

"I don't like the way he was looking at us," Kairyn mumbled nervously. He was spellbound by his incredible speed. Littlefoot's mind seemed to wander whilst he watched the Black Ghost approaching. He started seeing flashbacks of the last moment he had seen the Black Ghost. When they were on the snow capped mountain having just narrowly survived the avalanche. This almost seemed like a replay of that event when the Black Ghost went berserk but this time, he looked more focused and deadset on causing some damage; with him and his friends in his line of sight.

"That does it!" Cera snapped leaping in front of the group and dug her feet into the soil to brace herself for the incoming attack.

"Cera! No!" Littlefoot said blinking to break the gripping trance of his thoughts. Cera didn't listen. She stood defiantly before her friends, shielding them from whatever the Black Ghost was about to throw at them.

The Black Ghost was now dangerously close as his weapon arm drew back ready to make his strike. The group held their breath whilst Cera held her ground. The Black Ghost was now with striking range and his arm came up and over. His second hand clasped the handle in mid flight to reinforce the strength of the blow. It was primed to kill. Kairyn swore aloud and ducked pulling Melissa with down with him. Petrie and Ducky hugged together tightly as Spike shrunk down as small as he could behind Cera's stubborn and foolhardy barrier. Littlefoot was lost in a flurry of rushing thoughts as the attack came in. Then, in an instinctive act, Littlefoot leapt forwards just beyond Cera putting himself in line for the first hit.

"NO! STOP!" he cried in a panic. The swing came down with frightening speed and accuracy. The glistening blade was going to cleave Littlefoot's skull clean in two. Littlefoot clamped his eyes shut and gritted his teeth as a high-pitched ring resonate within his darkness. A chorus of gasps echoed in his ears over the ringing for a split second. Littlefoot slowly opened one eye, his teeth still grinding nervously. Realising that his head was still whole, he cautiously unfurled his second eyelid to find himself staring cross-eyed at the long metal blade of the Black Ghost's sword which was frozen in place down the middle of his face, floating barely a quarter of an inch above Littlefoot's forehead. His breath locked tight in his throat as he looked past the steadied blade and into the dark space where the two evil red eyes bore deep into his own. They were soulless and cold despite their burning crimson hue.

"Ghost! What the hell are you doing?" Kairyn finally said breaking the tense air, rising to his feet. The Black Ghost snapped his head up to Kairyn making him jerk back nervously. The cloaked figure then hopped backwards and held his sword out at arm's length pointing at the crowd. Littlefoot, relieved to have reacquired his personal space, sighed forcefully and promptly shuffled back into his group of friends.

"What is wrong with you? Why are you attacking us?" Cera snapped, silently fretting that it was almost her who would be facing the deathly swing of the sword. The Black Ghost seemed to flinch and held the side of his head with his free hand like he'd just been struck by a sudden headache. Littlefoot was the first to sympathise and retraced his defensive steps he had taken backwards with a cautious one forwards again.

"Erm… Black Ghost?" he asked sheepishly. The red eyes flicked to the longneck.

"Littlefoot… be careful…" Petrie whimpered still clinging to Ducky. Littlefoot swallowed hard but didn't falter in his approach and took another step forwards. The Black Ghost's hand remained steadily aimed despite his signs of discomfort. The sharpened tip of the sword was dangerously close to his throat, testing Littlefoot's mettle but he remained adamant.

"…Black Ghost? It's me…Littlefoot. Remember?" Littlefoot said slowly and softly. Then, he saw the burning red eyes inside the Black Ghost's hood flicker like faulty lamps.

"Li… Littlefoot?" he mumbled dumbly. He flinched again and recoiled away from the gawking crowd who were a little relieved to see the cloaked man relent and drop his weapon arm. Littlefoot allowed his chest to slack with a calming exhale having seemed to have quelled the Black Ghost's irrational actions.

"Lit…Littlefoot…" the Black Ghost mumbled again. His head drooped away from everyone's eyes. Littlefoot nodded but was then surprised to hear another voice call his name. A voice he had not heard for quite some time.

"Littlefoot?" it said to him from across the field.

"Grandpa?" Littlefoot replied in awe. He looked out into the Green Meadow and saw the towering elderly longneck standing and staring over at him. Then, another giant creature stepped into view and Littlefoot's smile grew wider.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" he cried jovially to them.

"Oh Littlefoot!" Grandma Longneck sighed overwhelmed.

"Everyone! The young ones have returned!" Grandpa Longneck hollered behind him. In an instant, a small crowd of adult-sized dinosaurs, all of varying species, had formed around the two longnecks. All faces sporting a beaming smile of great relief.

"It is our families! It is, it is!" Ducky piped happily. The gang began to chatter excitedly as they locked eyes with their parents. Reunited again after days of relentless trials and brushing shoulders with death nearly every step of the way. Kairyn, Melissa and the Black Ghost were momentarily forgotten in the joyous rush of emotions between the dinosaurs. Lost in their happiness, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike all shot off to feel the warming embrace of their parents. Suddenly, just as they all made a move towards their elders, a gruff, angry voice bellowed out over the entire Green Meadow, killing the mood.

"THERE! THERE IT IS!" the voice boomed. Everyone who had heard this voice before knew exactly who it belonged to. It was Cera's father. The gang skidded to a stop halfway on their way to their folks and glanced at the beastly triceratops as he pawed the ground and suddenly made a charging run right for them. His head was dipped low and his horns aimed ready to gore anything that was unfortunate enough to get in the way. The gang were all rather confused by Cera's father's behaviour but when he stormed past them, it quickly became apparent what he was running towards.

Kairyn and Melissa were still stood at the foot of the dusty path down from the mountains now extremely worried to see a giant beast roaring and stampeding towards them. The Black Ghost was still slumped on the ground shaking the daze from his head.

"That monster's coming right at us!" Kairyn yelped. Melissa had already taken the initiative and had started to head back the way they had come to enter the Green Meadow. Kairyn couldn't take his eyes off of Cera's father who was now at full stride and closing in fast. The Black Ghost, however, seemed completely oblivious to anything that was going on around him. The shock of charging triceratops quickly wore off then Kairyn heard the beast roar so loudly he could almost feel the rush of breath billow from its gaping mouth. He started to backpedal and turned to flee back up the path into the mountains. In his sudden twist, his foot slipped on the loose shingle that littered the ground and he stumbled on the spot. Dropping onto his knees, he looked over his shoulder and to his horror, saw that the wildly aggressive dinosaur was nearly on top of him. A shudder of panic flooded over him as he took in the impressive dimensions of its primary weapons aimed down low. In the background, Kairyn could hear Littlefoot and the others crying desperately but it didn't seem to slow the dinosaur's thundering pace.

Just then, the Black Ghost seemed to recompose himself and stood up. He glanced over at Kairyn on his knees and Kairyn could see that the demonic red eyes in his hood had suddenly disappeared.

"Ghost! Look out! Behind you!" the downed boy yelled in a flailing panic. The Black Ghost didn't seem to respond immediately but then, with a sudden spin, he turned one-eighty degrees and threw out his left hand, his fingers splayed wide. The air around his gloved hand rippled for a split second just before a strong gust of wind shot out from his palm and blasted at the charging dinosaur. The mighty magic gust hit the triceratops in the face knocking its head backwards which, in turn, forced the beast to decelerate. Still with enough momentum behind its sprint, the triceratops continued to stumble forwards threatening to run the Black Ghost over. The Black Ghost leapt up and landed on the beast's forehead whilst it was still blinded by his Wave Blast. Facing the same direction as his ride, the Black Ghost took the two giant horns that protruded menacingly from above each eyebrow and yanked them skywards as hard as he could. Kairyn let out a wail when he realised that the monstrous beast was now running at him with its eyes closed. It was going to trample him into the dirt. The Black Ghost dipped down and tugged at the horns in his hands again. Like a horse on reins, the triceratops's head snapped back forcing it to rear backwards and skid to a stop. Kairyn, coughing and choking on the dust that had been kicked into the air, sat amazed that the rampaging dinosaur was now stood only a few feet from him with the Black Ghost trying to wrangle it.

"Get moving kid!" the Black Ghost said gruffly as he wrestled with Cera's father as it tried to throw him off. Kairyn quickly scrambled to him feet and ducked behind a bush, out of sight.

With Kairyn safely out of view, the Black Ghost turned back to the bucking face of the triceratops he was still clung to.

"Get off me!" the beastly dinosaur thundered angrily as he continued to thrash about.

"As you wish," the Black Ghost replied calmly. Cera's father dropped his head sharply and he felt the creature on his face stumble. Then, the mighty threehorn threw his head upwards violently to finally dislodge it from his face. He felt the creature's grip slip from his horns and watched it catapult skywards. Cera's father looked pleased to have tossed the human so far into the air but as he watched its flight, it was very controlled almost like it was comfortable with being so high. The Black Ghost tucked into a ball and somersaulted as he fell back down to the soft grassy earth and landed perfectly. Even before he had stood up fully, he could hear the thundering footsteps of the angry triceratops heading towards him again. He didn't even turn to face him when a roar sounded from behind and a low aimed head swing came in threatening to spear him in the back. The Black Ghost effortlessly leapt up high clearing the nose horn and the two long horns embedded in the beast's forehead. The height of his jump was humanely impossible but the Black Ghost launched himself up and backflipped onto the charging dinosaur's back. Before Cera's father could comprehend what had just happened, the Black Ghost stood tall on his back as the dinosaur dug his feet into the ground and turned with the skid. The Black Ghost had already dismounted his seat from on top with a floating backwards somersault and landed in the grass a good distance from his attacker without hardly bending his knees.

Up until now, all those who had witnessed Cera's father take on the human in black had all stood spectating. The crowd had grown in size around the gang's parents when they had realised that the initial panic had died down. Cera's father was grunting and panting heavily but the Black Ghost looked like he'd hardly broken a sweat. He stood quite relaxed where he had touched the ground with Littlefoot and his friends now positioned close to the ankles of their parents just beyond where Cera's father had skidded to a halt.

"How dare you!" the mighty growled outraged, "how DARE you! Get out of our Valley!" He was already dragging his feet through the ground, ready to charge again. Tufts of grass flew up behind him as he made the threatening gesture but the Black Ghost did not appear to be intimidated.

"Are you dinosaurs just going to stand there while this pest terrorises our Valley!" he then said over his shoulder to the crowd behind him. There were a few rallied shouts before a number of them stepped forwards to join Cera's father.

"Mr Threehorn, no!" Littlefoot tried to call out but his voice was drowned out by the defiant shouts of the gathering army of Great Valley defenders stood at Cera's father's side.

"Then help me and let's drive it out!" he bellowed. A chorus of yells rang out from the newly formed crowd and they quickly turned their angry miens towards the Black Ghost who was still stood in the middle of the Green Meadow. The crowd charged without warning led by Mr Threehorn who failed to listen to the pleading cries of Littlefoot and his friends to stop.

The Black Ghost remained still as the rampaging onslaught of dinosaurs sprinted right at him. He was grossly outmatched, outsized and outnumbered but none of these factors seemed to generate an ounce of concern as they came closer with each pounding footfall.

Cera's father was the first to launch an attack which was another low piercing thrust with his horns. The Black Ghost finally responded by rolling to one side out of harm's way. Almost instantly, he was met with a barrage of stamping feet, swinging tails and horn attacks. Continuing the roll, the Black Ghost pushed off the ground and into a cartwheel as a longneck came trampling in. The acrobatic spin put him directly beneath the belly of the longneck, momentarily blocking him from view. The cover didn't last long as the longneck reared up onto it hind feet forcing the Black Ghost to sprint underneath it further. Exiting behind the reared longneck as it dropped its feet, the Black Ghost took a high leap as a large, thick tail of another dinosaur came crashing down before him. As the massive appendage slammed into the ground, the Black Ghost hopped onto it as it levitated up into the air. The tail flicked up throwing its rider skywards. The Black Ghost, now airborne, spun in the air and clasped onto what appeared to be a thick scaly tree trunk to prevent himself from being flung into the distance. Latching onto the thick trunk, he suddenly felt it give as if the trunk was soft and fleshy. Glancing up, the Black Ghost suddenly found an extremely large head staring down at him. He had caught hold of a longneck's long neck.

The longneck looked surprised to find him dangling from its neck and recoiled in fright. The Black Ghost hung on but suddenly shot a look behind when something blotted out the sun. Another longneck had approached and had its head coiled back ready to strike. The Black Ghost pushed off from his perch as the second longneck threw its head at him. In his fall, the Black Ghost forced a glowing magical platform out from his feet and took a midair leap off the floating glyph. The two longnecks collided and fell into each other granting the Black Ghost a sneaky path along the attacking longneck's back which he took without a second thought. Running along the dinosaur's spine, he dropped onto his back as another appendage swung overhead. Slipping under the surprise attack, the Black Ghost slid down the longneck's tail and back down onto solid ground but was instantly forced to dodge a spiketail's barbed tail that came swinging in from a blindside. Even after miraculously somersaulting in between the long spikes on its tail and then batting away a parasaurolophus's swipe from the other side with another Wave Blast, the Black Ghost quickly had to evade another attack launched by Mr Threehorn as he circled around the tangled longnecks.

All the while the relentless assault against the Black Ghost was raging, Littlefoot and his friends could only watch in horror. They were amazed at his incredible agility in dodging every offensive gesture thrown at him but they knew he could not keep it up forever. Moreover, so far, the Black Ghost hadn't lashed out at any of his aggressors. If he lost control of himself like before, then the outcome could potentially carry the threat of casualties. The Great Valley dinosaurs were blissfully naïve as to what the Black Ghost could really do.

"Grandma, Grandpa! We've got to stop them! He might get hurt!" Littlefoot cried despairingly. He cringed as he saw the Black Ghost narrowly escape an attack by jumping from one quadrupedal dinosaur to the back of another.

"But what is that creature Littlefoot?" Grandma Longneck asked.

"He's a human, we think; but was with us when we were out in the Mysterious Beyond," Littlefoot explained hurryingly.

"He is our friend. He is, he is," Ducky quickly chimed in with Spike nodding hastily in confirmation.

"Black Ghost help us get back to Great Valley," Petrie added.

"A human? Aren't those the creatures that kidnapped you in the first place Littlefoot?" Petrie's mother asked.

"I think so, but he wasn't one of the humans who did it. He save us whilst we were travelling back to the Great Valley!" Littlefoot replied.

"Is that true Cera?" Tria asked. Cera had remained rather quiet throughout the whole situation.

"Well… yeah, he did help us… but…" Cera stammered but Littlefoot cut across her before she could continue,

"Please, he's our friend. Please make them stop!" he beseeched. Having been convinced enough, Grandpa Longneck craned his head high and called out into the field asking for some sort of calm. However, the battle continued regardless with neither side showing any signs of slowing.

Despite his impressive acrobatic skill, the Black Ghost could feel himself starting to fatigue. It would have been much easier to dispatch each of his attackers but he knew that these were all herbivorous dinosaurs. They were merely defending their territory and he couldn't condemn them for that. However, having used a number of Shadow Art magicks, it was taking its toll on him. He would not last much longer against a crowd as large as this. The tussle had since migrated away from the spectators who didn't dare get any closer to the manic action and the sound of grunts, stamps, roars and painful groans made the field an orchestra of inaudible noise. Suddenly, there was a piercing scream of someone in trouble. Having flipped backwards from feet onto his hands to dodge another crushing stomp, the Black Ghost could just make out a large swimmer shouting,

"Hey! I found more! Over here!" The Black Ghost took a quick glance as he hopped from hands to feet again. The saurolophus had discovered Kairyn and Melissa over in the bushes and a number of dinosaurs had already started to make their way over to them. The Black Ghost saw the pair run out into the field over towards a lonely tree. The Black Ghost leapt up and out from the smothering crowd and instantly made a beeline over to where Kairyn and Melissa were being chased. His evaded attackers quick to pursue.

Kairyn and Melissa were trying their best to stay ahead of their chasers but given their super size, they quickly found themselves encircled. Kairyn and Melissa stuck close together as they backed up against a tree that stood proud and tall in a corner of the Green Meadow.

"Crap! We're surrounded!" Kairyn panted scanning the ring of giants around them. Melissa didn't say anything as she gazed up at them all. Their furrowed brows gave an instant message of their distain regarding their presence.

"Jeez! What're we gonna do!" Kairyn floundered. The ring began to shrink as everyone took a daunting and thunderous step forwards. Suddenly, someone dropping down from the sky and landed in front of Kairyn and Melissa. His landing seemed to shake the ground.

"Ghost?" Kairyn gawked.

"Get down," he said plainly. Kairyn then saw that his gloved hands were covered in a murky black and crimson fog. Without another word, Kairyn fell flat on his stomach and pulled Melissa down with him. Then, the Black Ghost leapt up into the air and seemed to float there without anything holding him up. All eyes locked onto him as he drew into himself before throwing his arms and legs out as wide as he could. From his aerial position, his entire body became engulfed in a bizarre black and crimson red flame that exploded out from him. The shockwave from the blast rattled the tree behind him and shunted the ring of dinosaurs backwards a few feet. Some of the dinosaurs fled while others stood holding their ground as they fought the strong burst of wind that emanated from the Black Ghost. Kairyn cautiously looked up at the levitated man in black as the magical fire spew out from him. Curiously, he noticed that even though the flames were hitting the ground, the tree and anything it could touch, it didn't appear to burn or ignite anything. It was as if it were all an elaborate lightshow rather than a devastating attack to wipe out everything.

The Black Ghost began roaring to the heavens as he strained to keep the fire around him alive. As he threw more magical flames around, his vision began to flicker and his world seemed to distort around him. Daylight strobed before his eyes as if he were dipping in and out of a dark passage. Suddenly, his forceful cry died in his throat and the flames were instantly extinguished. Kairyn looked up and saw the Black Ghost's body suddenly go limp and he plummeted to the grassy floor hitting it bone-crackingly hard.

The entire Green Meadow suddenly went deathly quiet. Those dinosaurs that had fought to keep their balance against the raging winds of the Black Ghost's exploding fireball slowly looked at each other bewildered at what they had just witnessed. A nervous chatter broke out amongst them as they began to gather. Momentarily forgetting they were still surrounded, Kairyn and Melissa pushed themselves up to hands and knees and crept cautiously forwards to the Black Ghost who was lying face down in the grass. He wasn't moving.

"Is he… alright?" Melissa asked lingering back slightly. Kairyn gave the Black Ghost's limp body a shake.

"Dunno, he's out cold. Can't tell if he's breathing or not," Kairyn reported grimly. Just then, a shadow rolled over him and Kairyn looked up.

"Uh oh," he breathed backing away from the Black Ghost's fallen position. Numerous pairs of eyes were staring down on him as he shrunk back against the base of the tree.

"I think we're in trouble," he whispered to Melissa who had also realised that the crowd were now bearing down on them.

The ring of adult dinosaurs had closed around them cutting off any possible of escape. Kairyn and Melissa felt their shoulders press against each other as they rubbed their backs on the flaking bark of the tree. Kairyn felt a nervous lump swell chokingly in his throat as he caught the eye of Cera's father glaring straight at him.

"Get rid of them!" he guttered lowly. Just as the mighty beast took a step forward, a young voice cried out over the growling group forcing him to stop.

"No! Wait! STOP!" the voice yelled as a body shot through the maze of legs and stood tall and defiantly in between Mr Threehorn and the humans. Kairyn could not have felt a faster rush of calm flood over him when he realised who it was.

"Out of the way Littlefoot!" Mr Threehorn snapped, "these humans need to be removed from our Valley right now!"

"No Mr Threehorn don't!" Littlefoot beseeched, "these humans helped save our lives. They rescued us from the Mysterious Beyond! They're not here to hurt us!"

"No creature other than a dinosaur can be trusted in this Valley and these home-wreckers will not be allowed to make a mess of our home like they did before!" Mr Threehorn bantered. Littlefoot looked up and scanned the crowd as a few of them cheered and yelled in support of Mr Threehorn's statement.

"But you can't throw them out! If it wasn't for Kairyn and the others we never would have made it back," Littlefoot replied desperately. He felt horribly overpowered but he just couldn't let Cera's father run Kairyn, Melissa and the Black Ghost out.

"Littlefoot is right! Yep, yep, yep!" another tiny voice piped in. The crowd turned and saw Ducky and Spike dash in between their legs and stood next to Littlefoot.

"Kairyn, Melissa and Black Ghost all help us. They even help fight a giant sharptooth that follow us all the way," Petrie chimed in as he descended from over the group.

"Is this true Littlefoot?" Grandma Longneck asked as she and Grandpa Longneck appeared behind the rest of the ring.

"Yes Grandma. They saved us while we were travelling back here," Littlefoot said very quickly. He felt his odds of convincing the mobbing crowd greatly increase as his friends and grandparents joined him. He felt his spirits lift when he saw that understanding twinkle in his grandfather's eye as he raised his head to speak.

"Well, if these humans did in fact save our children and see them back here safely then we owe them a debt beyond a simple thank you," Grandpa Longneck said in an even tone, "we cannot condemn these humans for an act of bravery that saw our children return in one piece. We should be welcoming them as we have done with any visitors."

"But one good act does not overrule the threat and danger they pose to our Great Valley as they did when they were last here," Mr Threehorn quickly retorted, "they are not visitors; they're a menace! And I won't stand idly by knowing that they could wreak havoc on our lives again!"

"But Daddy, they are not the same humans as last time," Cera said, finally plucking up the courage to speak against her father as she wandered over to her defiant friends. She was trying hard not to cower under the piercing gaze of father's burning eyes and furrowed brow.

"All humans are the same! I'm sure these ones are no different!" Mr Threehorn bellowed. Then, all of a sudden, a different voice spoke out; this time from the epicentre of the quarrelling ring.

"Please sir, I can assure you we mean you no harm," Melissa said sheepishly. Despite being sat next to her, Kairyn almost couldn't believe that she had actually stood up to talk to the scowling beast. The only thing he had been focusing on were how intimidating Cera's father's horns looked when they are aimed low enough to impale him straight through. However, when Melissa stood up and walked away from him, he blinked in amazement as she continued.

"We humans are not all the same. We are but children ourselves and we have no idea how we got here. We're scared and frightened because we don't know how we can get back. Littlefoot and his friends kindly suggested we come back with them to your home until we can find a way back to our own time," Melissa explained. Despite not having the most impressive voice, her tone was laced with such gentility and manner that it was almost melodious.

"And we always welcome those who come to the Great Valley in need of help," Littlefoot chipped in. The crowd began to chatter uncertainly; clearly the mix of morals of the community was being scrutinised to the point that no one was sure what to think. Melissa continued above the noise of the chatter.

"Please. We just need somewhere where we can at least think of how we can rectify the situation we've suddenly found ourselves in. I promise you that we are not your enemy. We are just lost and confused. If we were to be thrown back out into what you call the Mysterious Beyond, we would not last because we do not know of the perils of this world. Our world is very different to yours and we will surely perish without some safe haven and guidance. Would you honestly be that cruel to sacrifice us to a world that we have no knowledge of?"

Kairyn was spellbound. Melissa words were so deep and heartfelt that it was impossible not to be moved by what she was saying. Their case was indeed genuine but she sold their predicament perfectly. Looking up at the dinosaurs surrounding them, it was clear that the majority of the swollen, angry faces had slackened and offered signs of understanding and empathy.

"But you attacked us! That human in black entered our Valley and instantly started causing trouble," Mr Threehorn argued. This flared some of the undecided dinosaurs back up into disgruntled burst of anger.

"Erm…we have to apologise for him," Kairyn then said hopping to his feet; he felt that he needed to help out where he could, "he's a little trigger happy when it comes to confrontations. Had we have gotten here before the Black Ghost, we could have warned you." Kairyn silently started to panic. His words were clumsy and lacked the flowing grace and neutralising qualities of Melissa and he started to think that maybe he was damaging their chances of being accepted.

"We think the Black Ghost is sick. He goes a bit crazy sometimes but he's never hurt us," Littlefoot joined in. Kairyn looked hard and intently at the back of Littlefoot's head. He couldn't quite believe that Littlefoot was defending the Black Ghost but he knew that right now was not the right time to confront him about it. Littlefoot glanced back and down at the floored man in the black coat and then up at Kairyn who seemed to flinch when they locked eyes and then quickly turned away.

"These humans clearly mean us no harm. They are indeed children and we cannot be so malicious as to leave them to the fate of the Mysterious Beyond," Grandpa Longneck then said over everyone else, "we will grant them safety in our Great Valley while they look for a way to return to their own home."

The crowd chattered louder but this time, tones were a lot more accommodating which made Littlefoot breathe a huge sigh of relief. His grandparents had done it again and quelled the raging rabble in favour of peace and acceptance. Mr Threehorn growled lowly and snapped his head upwards.

"When are you gonna wise up Longneck? Not every creature that wanders into our Valley is as calm and innocent as you think they are!" he grumbled with a grinding of his teeth.

"That may be true but at least we have made a decision based on a fair and open debate and not leapt to conclusions. The humans will be welcomed but they are to behave as we expect any far walker or traveller," Grandma Longneck said strongly.

"Yes. Until they find their way home, they can stay with us as long as they treat our home with the respect they would their own," Grandpa Longneck added.

"And I can honestly say, with every gracious word, that we will do just that," Melissa said sweetly. The words to seal the verbal contract of conditions; chosen and spoken beautifully. Mr Threehorn gave another low and grumpy scowl at the crowd and then at the humans now stood side by side with his daughter and her friends before grunting indignantly and storming off.

"Urr…one of these days…" he muttered as he stamped away, his voice trailing into a muffle as he walked.

The tight ring of dinosaurs then slowly began to break away as the dinosaurs returned to their day, all of them still quarrelling and gossiping about its strange turn of events. As the crowd dispersed, Littlefoot and his friends all sighed heavily again. Littlefoot looked up at his grandparents and smiled broadly. No matter the situation, they always stood by him without fail even if the whole thing seemed hopeless.

"Whew! Out of all our close encounters and brushes with death, I think I was more scared of that council of dinosaurs than running through that geyser field or being chased by that obsessive sharptooth," Kairyn said, "nice speech by the way Melissa."

"Thanks," she beamed stroking the side of her hair shyly, "it was easy because it was the truth."

"So you humans do not know how you got here?" Grandma Longneck asked dipping her head low to the ground.

"I'm afraid not. There was a serious incident back at the Keltech Laboratories back in our time. None of us are sure how we ended up here," Melissa said shrugging.

"So what will you do now? How will you find your way home?" Ducky then asked the pair of them.

"Dunno to be honest," Kairyn started, but then, as he turned and looked at the ground, he found a black glove lying next to his right foot and his mind clicked, "but I think we can make a start by asking this guy some questions." Everyone followed Kairyn's gaze and the inference was instant.

"But how you gonna ask Black Ghost? What if he go crazy again?" Petrie asked sounding slightly nervous. Kairyn paused for a second and then glanced back at the tree. He quickly discovered that it was covered in thick, drooping vines that twisted around its branches like organic tinsel.

"He won't…not this time…" Kairyn said lowly. The others watched in silence as Kairyn walked over to the tree and clambered up into its low branches. A short while later, Kairyn dropped back down to the ground with an armful of the thick vines and ducked down next to the Black Ghost. Taking his flaccid hands, Kairyn folded them behind the Black Ghost's back as he lay on his front and tied his wrists together. Then, taking another vine, Kairyn looped them between the Black Ghost's ankles and pulled them as taut as he could. Content that they were tight, Kairyn rolled the incapacitated man over and grabbed him by the feet.

"Littlefoot, gimme a hand will ya," he asked. Littlefoot, who had been spectating in some degree of awe, flicked his head quickly before helping Kairyn move the Black Ghost over towards the tree. With some effort, Kairyn and the group managed to tie the Black Ghost to the trunk of the tree with his feet suspended some distance off the floor.

"There," Kairyn said contently, dusting his hands clean of the grimy ropes, "let's see him go nuts and disappear now."

"Is he all right? He still has not woken up yet," Ducky said sounding a little concerned. Kairyn leaned in closer to the unconscious man.

"Dunno, I doubt I could find a pulse through that jacket of his," Kairyn said flatly, "can't even see the guy's face." Then, something in Kairyn's brain clicked. After a brief pause, Kairyn felt his fingers twitch at his side and his hand slowly began to rise up as if it were not under his full control. The others all leaned in closer holding their breath as Kairyn's hand drew level with the Black Ghost's hood. He hesitated for a second, his mouth suddenly very dry. Then, swallowing hard, Kairyn reached forward and felt his fingers brush the inside rim of the black hood and he gently began to push it back.


	29. Communicating with a Ghost

Chapter 28: Communicating with a Ghost

The moment seemed like one destined to never be revealed but it was there ready to be seized. Still, with Kairyn's outstretched hand partially hidden by the cavernous black hood of the Black Ghost inches away from unmasking who he still believed to be his father's killer. The Black Ghost still lay drooped, unconscious within his tether of vines, tied to the trunk of the thick tree. He seemed completely unaware that his identity was in grave danger of being revealed to the world despite spending so long cloaking himself behind the enigmatic name. Kairyn could only imagine the handful of people who really knew who he was and how he had become the mysterious man that plagued the country back in his time. And here he was now, a mere wrist flick away from seeing the Black Ghost's face for the first time and yet, his hand seemed frozen in suspended air. His arm flushed hot and heavy and his hand was trembling.

"_This is it. This is the man who killed my father_," Kairyn's mind burned, "_so why am I so afraid to look at him? Why can't I just remove his damn hood?_"

"Kairyn?" Littlefoot's voice said nervously from behind him. Kairyn breathed a shuddering sigh on hearing his name but didn't turn around.

"_This is something I've got to do…_" Kairyn's mind pressed, "_I need to see his face…for Dad…_"

With that, Kairyn swallowed hard and felt his wrist tense, priming to push the Black Ghost's hood back the rest of the way. He saw the point of a nose hit the daylight when he saw two evil red eyes suddenly glare out from the darkness of the hood. Kairyn gasped in fright as the beaming red lights bore into his fearful brown eyes. Instinctively, he drew his hand back in a frightened flinch just as the Black Ghost's limp body squirmed back into life and he let out an animalistic roar. Kairyn leapt backwards a few feet as the crazed man screamed and yelled at the top of his lungs, thrashing and twisting around like a convulsing snake. The vines creaked horribly against his restrained body as Kairyn silently hoped that they wouldn't snap. All eyes stared anxiously at the Black Ghost when he suddenly lurched up very straight before sighing and flopping down within his tethers breathing hard.

The gathered audience all swapped nervous glances at each other before they all looked to Kairyn who had not adjusted his gaze from the Black Ghost the entire time he was fitting within the vines. Kairyn felt his face flush hot against the chilly specks of sweat on his forehead as he cautiously retraced his steps towards the tree again. All other followed Kairyn's movement, anyone hardly breathing as he finally stopped and stood tall in front of the Black Ghost who was still reclaiming lost breath.

"So, you still with us then Ghost?" Kairyn said steadily. The Black Ghost slowly looked towards Kairyn, still panting slightly.

"…Kairyn…you look a little shorter than you did the last time I saw you," the Black Ghost said tunelessly.

"Well, I'm in a bit of a better position than you right about now," Kairyn shot back smirking confidently. The Black Ghost then looked down to see a thick network of vines wrapped numerous times around his torso with his hands pinned between his back and the tree.

"Hmm…thought you'd take advantage of a downed man even though he saved you on a fair few occasions," the Black Ghost said, his tone at the ever even pace it always was.

"I've done just fine getting along without your interfering thanks," Kairyn retorted, "besides I never asked for your help in the first place."

"No, you're right. You didn't ask for me help; but someone else wanted me to anyway," the Black Ghost said slowly. He made sure Kairyn heard every word.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" he replied sourly but the Black Ghost just shook his head.

"If you haven't got it by now then I guess you'll just have to wait a little longer. You'll get it in time," the Black Ghost said meaningfully.

"Well, I've got all the time in the world and I'm not in the mood to be playing your stupid little riddles," Kairyn snapped. The Black Ghost sniggered as Kairyn thrust an authoritive finger up to his face.

"I hope you're comfortable up there coz you're gonna be answering some questions seeing as this whole mess is your fault!" Kairyn continued.

"You're going to interrogate me?" the Black Ghost said pretending to sound surprised.

"Not interrogate sir; just ask a few questions that might shed some light on what's happened here," Melissa's sweet-toned voice said from the behind Kairyn.

"And who are you Miss?" the Black Ghost offered sounding very polite.

"Melissa. Melissa Trine," she replied smiling. The Black Ghost hummed and nodded in verification.

"Hmm…that's not a bad place to start actually," Kairyn then said coarsely, "same question to you. Who are you?"

"You already know the answer to that question…" he replied flatly, "I am the Black Ghost."

"But…that can't be your real name," Littlefoot then said stepping up to stand alongside Kairyn but unlike him, Littlefoot's posture was laxed and his expression was curious.

"Don't you have a real name?" Littlefoot continued. The Black Ghost seemed to flinch at the question and didn't answer immediately.

"I…I…don't know…" he said finally.

"You don't know your own name?" Cera said indignantly.

"I…can't remember my name…I can hardly remember anything about my past…" the Black Ghost said lowly.

"Could it be amnesia?" Melissa offered but the Black Ghost shook his head again.

"Amnesia?" Ducky asked curiously.

"Yeah, it's when you lose part or all of your memory," Melissa explained but her face turned serious as she watched the man in black shaking his head, "but it looks as though he doesn't know either."

"Have you tried looking in a mirror lately? Maybe you'd remember a few things if you saw your face a little more often," Kairyn said sarcastically, "why don't you take that stupid hood off?"

"There is a very good reason for it but I doubt you'd be able to handle the complexity of the matter," the Black Ghost retorted. He suddenly sounded threatening compared to before.

"Complexity? Of taking a bloody hood off?" Kairyn scoffed as he began to stride towards the Black Ghost.

"I'm warning you. Don't even try it," he said dangerously.

"Or you'll what?" Kairyn challenged as he rose his hand and reached for his hood. The movement was lightning quick and happened in an instant. The Black Ghost managed to flick his bound feet up and kicked Kairyn's outstretched hand upwards. As Kairyn's arm flew up uncontrollably, the Black Ghost levelled his feet, aimed at Kairyn's exposed chest and forced a glowing glyph out of the bottom of his black boots. Where it had previous launched the Black Ghost skyward, the force of the push seemed to work in reverse. The glyph struck Kairyn with full force and catapulted him backwards a good few yards to land in a messy heap. The others all gasped in shock as they witnessed Kairyn shoot through the air like a human missile.

"I did warn him," the Black Ghost said dismissively as Kairyn came stumbling back.

"You okay Kairyn?" Littlefoot asked as he stood back where he was earlier. He didn't answer him but remained scowling, teeth bared, at the Black Ghost.

"You'll pay for that…" Kairyn seethed holding his arm he had crash landed on but the Black Ghost didn't seem fazed by the threat.

"What I look like is the least of your concerns. If you are looking to interrogate me then you best start with a question more appropriate to the situation," the Black Ghost said coldly. His feet slowly lowered back to their hovering position above the ground as if a canon were being decommissioned. Everyone took a sideways glance at each other then finally Littlefoot stepped forward.

"How did you humans get here? The last humans we knew went back to their home a long time ago," he said slowly.

"I'm not fully aware of the mechanics but I do know that dark matter was involved to some extent," the Black Ghost replied.

"Dark matter?" Kairyn said airily, "you mean that black swirly stuff back at the Keltech Lab in Second London?"

"It is a substance little know about. How that laboratory managed to get their hands on such a substantial amount is beyond my knowledge. Still, to those who have been around it, you learn to sense its aura," the Black Ghost said.

"So is that why you were in the labs? Sniffing out that black crap? Looking to slaughter anyone who came to possess it?" Kairyn said sharply, anger growing in his voice.

"No. While I was curious as to how Keltech managed to obtain dark matter, it was of no immediate interest to me. It was not my purpose for being there."

"Then why were you there? What possible reason could you have to storm the labs and kill my father?" Kairyn yelled hysterically.

"I didn't kill your father although that was an unfortunate turn of events," the Black Ghost said flatly.

"An unfortunate turn of events?" Kairyn screamed in disgust at the Black Ghost's words. They sounded dismissive and fleeting; Kairyn felt a flashing heat tear through him. He dug his foot into the ground ready to charge at the Black Ghost, his right fist raised in fury.

"Kairyn, no! Stop! Please calm down…" Littlefoot beseeched leaping in front of him to block him off. Kairyn rammed into the side of him but quickly recomposed himself. He glared at Littlefoot but couldn't remained raged as the longneck's wide eyes begged him to comply. Kairyn huffed and forcefully straightened his clothes; the pent up energy had to expended somewhere.

Melissa stepped forward nervously. Her gentle gait hardly audible as she shuffled in the grass that stroked her ankles.

"Black Ghost? What can you tell us about that night? You were obviously there for a reason," she said calmly. The Black Ghost shuffled but didn't say anything.

"I remember, you saved us in the street. The hovercar that crashed into the alley where that black creature attacked us. You seemed to know how to deal with it and what it was supposed to be."

"That creature was human…in a former life," the Black Ghost then said. The group all looked at each other

"What do you mean 'in a former life'?" Cera asked probingly.

"He was cursed. Transformed. A human overrun by an unknown agent with no conscious mind to guide it."

"What? Like a zombie or something?" Kairyn scoffed. Suddenly, the group of dinosaurs let out a collective gasp as if something had just struck them.

"Huh? What's up guys?" Kairyn asked flicking his eyes from one stunned face to another.

"You no think?" Petrie started.

"Could those nasty half-dead creatures have come back?" Cera said hardly breathing.

"No, it can't be. We helped Jill, Jason and Stone get rid of all those creepy things when we beat the Red Phoenix!" Littlefoot said fretfully.

"No, it is not the undead. That dark phase of human history has long since passed," the Black Ghost said. The group all sighed in relief.

"So what was it then?" Ducky asked suddenly mystified.

"A tainted creature corrupted by some unnatural force. The logistics of how and why it happens is beyond the knowledge of any human understanding."

"Even you huh?" Kairyn said smugly. The Black Ghost shuffled but didn't bite back.

"But you seemed to know what it was and how to deal with it," Melissa pressed picking up on the fact that the Black Ghost seemed to avoiding answering the question directly.

"Any creature that lives can die. That creature was not fully formed so it had the same vulnerability as any other human you would choose to harm. The fact that the two of you happened to confront the creature when I got there was nothing more than a mere coincidence," he replied coldly. This made Kairyn bitter and restless but he subtly clenched a fist to quell another angry outburst. The Black Ghost's arrogant and dismissive tone was digging at him causing flares of resentment to singe his nerves.

As the questioning continued, there was a shift in recipients as the dinosaurs then turned to the humans to answer questions regarding Littlefoot kidnapping. Kairyn took centre stage in answering what was asked but his interpretation very much branded the Black Ghost as the instigator of the entire issue of landing Kairyn in the dinosaur realm.

"And how that happen again?" Petrie asked scratching the side of his head in utter confusion.

"Sadly, I don't remember how I got here. I remember what happened in the labs but after going to find help for Kairyn when he was locked in the cryo-rooms, everything's a blank," Melissa said with her head resting on her hand as she thought.

"I'm here coz _that_ maniac spazzed out and started breaking everything including Littlefoot's cryo-chamber and those pods containing that murky purple sparking stuff," Kairyn said indignantly pointing over his shoulder with his thumb at the Black Ghost who was still tussled up to the tree trunk. It looked as though he was quite accustomed to being strung up and being held hostage by this stage.

"You seem to do that quite often Black Ghost. Why is that?" Littlefoot then asked him as he took a step around Kairyn to focus on the man tied to the tree. The Black Ghost grunted but otherwise, didn't say anything.

"Are you sick Mr Ghost?" Ducky then asked caringly but again the Black Ghost simply snorted and refused to answer.

"Sick in the head probably; especially after what we've seen on our journey here once he disappeared from off the mountain," Kairyn said accusingly, "remember the diced up raptors in that valley path before we reached the geyser field and the volcanoes? There's no doubt that he was responsible for slaughtering the lot of them. Nothing but a blade could have inflicted such a cut that clean."

"Yes, I was responsible for those creatures' deaths but given the situation, their killings were unavoidable. I only aimed to deter them but they still attacked mindlessly," the Black Ghost said calmly.

"Don't try and sugar coat it," Kairyn spat, "you still killed them regardless which was unnecessary."

"The maiming of that group of dinosaurs proved to be more than necessary seeing as it gave you a chance to escape in an otherwise fruitless attempt to flee," the Black Ghost then said, his tone very deliberate. Cera then suddenly clicked.

"You…did that? To give us a chance to escape? You knew we would go that way?" she breathed in awe. The Black Ghost didn't say anything but the shock of the idea suddenly jolted Littlefoot as his mind raced. The geyser field they ran across and the curtain of superheated water that erupted just behind them to subdue the chasing raptors. The cave-in of the volcano entrance that sealed them off from their pursuers. The gang's miraculous escape from the stalking sharptooth who he thought had them for sure on the floating paths in their final ascent to the Great Valley, the floor inexplicably crumbling away beneath the mighty beast sending it plummeting into the murky pool below. The high pitched ringing sound that was present in all of those deadly situations was the exact same sound Littlefoot had heard when the Black Ghost drew his sword and threatened to strike him down when he stood in front of Cera to accept the blow upon their return to the Great Valley.

"So…all those strange things that happened that helped us escape…the burning water plain, the rock slide that blocked us in that smoking mountain...and the sharptooth in the canyon. All those times we escaped…was because you were helping us?" Littlefoot said airily. The Black Ghost remained silent but he slowly dipped his hooded head in verification.

"He was protecting us? Even when we could not see him?" Ducky said in a gasping whisper.

"But why go through so much effort to save us only to flip out, go crazy and then attempt to kill us when you saw us when we got here?" Kairyn fired quickly. He was determined not to be so quickly won over, "whose bloody side are you on anyway?" The Black Ghost lifted his head to look at him but didn't speak.

"Prefer to keep up the silent, strong macho man façade eh? Don't want to admit you have a problem?" Kairyn hummed haughtily with his hands on his hips. Yet again, the Black Ghost remained defiantly silent but by the angle of his hood, it was evident that he was focused intently on Kairyn and Littlefoot as they stood next to each other.

"Whatever man; this guy's a flippin' liability if you ask me," Kairyn tutted waving a dismissive hand at the Black Ghost, "I still think it was a mistake bringing him here. He can't be trusted." This time, Littlefoot was the one who had fallen silent as Kairyn turned on his heels. A turbulent well of confused thoughts and feelings washed over him as Kairyn's words spun in his mind. He gazed down at the softly wavering grass as he tried to piece together suitable reasons for allowing the Black Ghost to come to the Great Valley. Before he had defended the idea that his motives were liable to be the same as Kairyn's in trying to find a way home. However, the evidence of the Black Ghost's erratic behaviour and sudden dangerous outbursts could not be denied, especially for Littlefoot who quickly remembered how close the Black Ghost's blade had been to the frantic throbbing pulse in his neck high up in the snowy mountains. Yet something was still bugging him and he couldn't quite place it.

Littlefoot's focus was then shattered when Kairyn let out a frustrated huff,

"This is getting us nowhere," he said turning away from his captive and walked towards the rest of the gang who were stood a little way away, "he's not gonna give us any straight answers so why bother."

"I couldn't agree more," the Black Ghost suddenly said. Kairyn paused in mid-step when he then heard Melissa gasp. Kairyn, puzzled at first, looked at her then followed her gaze over to the tree. His jaw almost hit the grassy floor when he saw that the Black Ghost was no longer within his tethers. The vines now lay limp and loose as a messy heap around the base of the tree and the mysterious man in black was standing under the tree, just off to the side, rubbing his wrists.

"What the? How did he…?" Kairyn spluttered flicking between the tree, the sprawled vines and the now free Black Ghost. The vines did not look at all damaged which suggested that he had somehow managed to wriggle free; but there was no way he could have squirmed out of his bindings without someone catching him in the act. He hadn't even made a sound in the process.

"I'm afraid that this little discussion is now over. I must take my leave," the Black Ghost said dusting off his coat with puffs of pollen and foliage materialising in the air with each slap.

"Oh no you don't!" Kairyn said as he and Cera suddenly dashed forwards to apprehend him again. The Black Ghost's movement looked almost like a teleportation. With a quick leap, he shot straight up into the tree's canopy leaving Cera and Kairyn to collapse on top of each other as their lunging dives missed. The gang all rushed over to the flattened pair and gazed up into the low branches to see the Black Ghost perched on a thick limb staring down on them all like a wise speaking owl.

"Clearly none of you are quite ready to learn the truth about what transpired here," the Black Ghost said from his squat position in the tree.

"So you _do_ know what happened!" Kairyn seethed picking himself up.

"I have certain knowledge but it seems you are ill-equipped to bear it as of yet. When you have matured in mind, body and spirit, then we can discuss matters in greater detail."

"We're NOT here to play your stupid little games Ghost! Quit messing around and tell us what we need to know!" Kairyn yelled.

"This is no game Kairyn," the Black Ghost said with deadly seriousness, "in fact, the weight of the situation is so grave that the consequences of its transgression could bring about a calamity much worse than that both this world and the human world have already suffered." The group fell uncomfortably silent at his words as he continued,

"We all have a part to play but clearly no one is ready; the time is not yet right. Ask yourself this. Do you think it is mere chance that holder of one of the stones should find their way back to this place?"

"Holder of one of the stones?" Petrie asked naively glancing at the others but no one seemed to have an answer for him. Kairyn suddenly felt the weight of the yellow triangular stone in his pocket as he gingerly placed a hand over the pocket where it sat. Suddenly, the Black Ghost flinched and he clutched his left arm. Littlefoot and the others fidgeted nervously, fearing another violent outburst but the Black Ghost continued, voice starting to strain,

"We don't have much time and we have wasted much of it. Once your revelations have come to light, then we can talk. It is clear you still have much to learn," he said as he then stood up, still holding his arm.

"W-wait! Where are you going?" Littlefoot said stepping forwards.

"I can't stay here, but rest assure Littlefoot, I will be watching. For you and your friends are the only ones alive who should know this situation better than anyone." Littlefoot gasped at the statement. It sounded foreboding yet it also sounded suggestive.

"W-wait! What do you mean by that?" Littlefoot said quickly but he was not acknowledged. The Black Ghost suddenly leaped higher into the trees and was stolen from view.

"No wait, please!" Littlefoot cried up the tree as a gentle tumble of leaves rolled and flipped down to the ground.

"Petrie!" Cera shouted suddenly but he was already a step ahead. Petrie took off and darted up into the dense canopy of the tree. Once inside, the little flyer only managed a quick flick left and right before the sound of thick fabric flapped in the air sounded and a shadowy figure jetted past him throwing him into a crazed spin. From the ground, the group of humans and dinosaurs caught a brief glimpse of a streaking black blur bursting out from the tree's crown and shoot off into the distance.

"Argh! Dammit!" Kairyn cursed as he watched the blur dissolve into the greenery at the far end of the field. The Black Ghost had escaped yet again.

It took the group a few seconds to recompose themselves as they all sat down in a circle, all thoroughly exhausted by the day's events.

"Gee whizz! What a day," Kairyn puffed. His arm still a little numb from landing on it earlier, "I really hate that guy."

"So what do we do now? What about all that stuff he said?" Littlefoot said a bit disturbed. The Black Ghost words were reverberating over and over in his head like a recorded message announcing the Apocalypse.

"I dunno. Frankly, I'm finding it very difficult to take anything that weirdo says seriously," Kairyn scoffed.

"But he sounded very serious, he did, he did," Ducky chimed in.

"Serious about what? He didn't even tell us anything," Kairyn continued to argue.

"Maybe, because we have to start figuring out a few things for ourselves," Melissa then said. All eyes turned to her.

"Whad'dya mean? If he's got all the answers, then why bother making us chase around some mystical, philosophical saying? He said we don't have much time then why waste it with stupid riddles?" Kairyn snorted.

"I don't know. Maybe we need to think of what the problem is and then try to think of a way to fix it," Melissa suggested.

"Well, you humans being in the Great Valley is one problem. Maybe he means that," Cera said half-joking.

"But the way he spoke, it was as if something terrible was going to happen," Littlefoot said unnerved.

"He's probably just trying to creep us out. Don't take what he said too seriously Littlefoot," Kairyn said. Somehow, Littlefoot could do nothing of the sort. The words the Black Ghost used were far too specific, too deliberate and focused on him and his friends to be so fleeting. Something underlying was in his words that shook the young longneck to his core and he didn't like the feeling it gave him.

The discussion didn't last long as an orchestra of trampling footsteps thundered towards them. The group all looked up and saw their families and a few other residents edging closer. Behind them, the Great Valley skyline was a burning orange as the day slowly transcended into a cool breezed evening. As they all stood up, Kairyn and Melissa shuffled a little closer together as the adult dinosaurs stood before their children.

"We were watching from a distance but we only heard parts of the conversations," Littlefoot's grandfather said.

"Just what was that strange black creature?" Petrie's mother asked signalling over to where the shadowy streak disappeared.

"He the Black Ghost Mama," Petrie replied, "he a human…err…me think."

"Humph! Another human here to cause trouble," Cera's father grunted.

"He doesn't mean any harm Mr Threehorn. He was just looking out for us," Littlefoot said before anyone else could get a word in. He didn't turn his head but he could tell that Kairyn was staring at him. He could feel the boy's gaze scorching the back of his neck.

"Speaking of which, what should be done with these two humans?" a gruff sounding ankylosaurus, Mr Clubtail, said. Kairyn and Melissa felt very self-conscious as the assembled dinosaurs chattered. In amongst the noise they heard statements like "throw them back out into the Mysterious Beyond" countered by "they came in with the children, they can't be that bad". Thankfully, Grandpa Longneck broke through the gabble and reminded them of what was previously discussed.

"Let's not forget my friends that we have already agreed to allow these humans to find sanctuary within our Valley for aiding our children in their safe return to us."

"Yes, but above all, they are still children. We would never condemn a child to face the harshness of the Mysterious Beyond and we shall not start with these humans," Grandma Longneck piped in assertively. The group grumbled again but no one argued the point any further. Kairyn and Melissa couldn't help but reveal a relieved grin each as they were spared exile.

"Now, who will so kind as to take care of our visitors?" Grandma Longneck continued but the question sparked another chorus of lowly grumbles of refute at the idea of housing such alien creatures.

"Ever get the feeling you're not wanted?" Kairyn mumbled into Melissa's ear which she responded to by elbowing him in the ribs. Kairyn flinched but stifled a giggle as the chatter went on. Eventually, perhaps in fear of being nominated, pairs of dinosaurs began to peel away from the discussion. The elderly longneck couple sighed as just the gang's parent's remained and Mr Threehorn was already looking to turn away.

"Mama? Can we take them home with us, please?" a tiny voice then said very sweetly. It was Ducky. Spike, with a mouthful of grass, hummed in support as they both strode closer to their saurolophus mother.

"I would like it very much if they could stay with us for a while. I would, I really would," Ducky sang cutely. Their mother was a little taken aback by the idea but as she stared deeper into her daughter's eyes, she felt she couldn't refuse.

"Alright Ducky. I don't mind taking one of them home," Ducky's mother said, "but I don't think I can handle both humans as well as you, Spike and all your brothers and sisters."

"Okay Mama, thank you!" Ducky squeaked happily. She then trotted over to where Kairyn and Melissa were standing.

"Would one of you like to come home with me? We have a really pretty nest not too far from the river, we do," Ducky offered looking up at both of them. Kairyn and Melissa looked at each other briefly before Kairyn gestured to her.

"Why don't you go with Ducky. I'm sure you'll have a nice time with her and Spike," he said with a weak smile.

"Err…sure, but what about you? Where will you stay?" Melissa said sounding guilty for accepting first.

"Kairyn, you can stay with me at my home," Littlefoot jumped in happily, "if that is okay with you Grandma and Grandpa?" The two longnecks looked at each other and nodded.

"Yes Littlefoot. That will be fine," Grandma Longneck said warmly.

"Really? Wow! Thank you!" Kairyn said relieved. Littlefoot's face instantly burst with a gleaming smile that Kairyn quickly mimicked.

With the living arrangements settled, the gang all bid each other a good night and each went their separate ways. Whilst they were talking, the heavens had stealthily camouflaged themselves in a deep indigo laced with stars that began to shine like glistening pins in the dark sky. Kairyn waved at Melissa as she took hold of Ducky's hand and they walked towards the far end of the field.

"C'mon Kairyn. Our nest is this way," Littlefoot said tilting his head towards a path through a dense collection of trees. Kairyn smiled and followed Littlefoot as he and his grandparents marched into the woods. It didn't take them long to reach a cosy clearing sheltered by a semi-circle of trees. The grassy ground was worn in areas where Littlefoot's grandparents obviously slept. Towards the edge of the copse was a small, petrified tree that bore no leaves overlooking a shallow pit in the ground. Despite their distinct differences, they seemed to strangely complement each other.

"This is your home?" Kairyn asked as he surveyed the clearing amazed.

"Yup," Littlefoot said as he dashed ahead, "I sleep in here." Littlefoot stepped into his pit and quickly turned a full circle on the spot within it.

"Looks a bit too snug for anyone but you," Kairyn laughed, "where should I sleep?"

"You can use the tree up there," Littlefoot said nodding up to the leafless tree. Kairyn looked at it cautiously. The tree wasn't very tall by any means and its bare limbs forked up and outwards from the centre to form a nice little cage. Kairyn hoisted himself up into the tree and after a bit of shuffling, found a comfy enough spot to lay in.

"My human friend Jason used to sleep in that tree when he was here," Littlefoot said as he circled his pit once more before settling down into it.

"Jason? You human friend?" Kairyn repeated, "you mean the human friend you say I look like?"

"Yeah, kinda funny that two humans that look alike have slept in that same tree," Littlefoot said smiling inwardly. Kairyn simply sniggered. Littlefoot's grandparents wished the pair of them goodnight and Kairyn thanked them again for allowing him to stay with them. With a quick "goodnight" to each other, Kairyn laid back and Littlefoot lowered his head into the soft blades of grass. Despite their well wishes, Littlefoot's overclocking mind began to click again as he drifted off. The thoughts instantly began invading his dreams.


	30. A Disquieting Retelling of Destiny

Chapter 29: A Disquieting Retelling of Destiny

The entrance was cloaked in a shroud of darkness. Littlefoot awoke to find himself in a void of complete nothingness. A surge of panic struck him when he realised that he had left the Great Valley yet again and been transported to another place. At first, he thought he had been kidnapped again but the whipping air that brushed his chilled skin told him otherwise. A bizarre sensation of free falling through an emptiness despite having nothing to signify where he was or where he was going. The rush of wind bellowed in his ears as he plummeted, upside down and belly up, deeper into the void. The fearful knot of initial panic and confusion dissolved as the cooling wind pressed against his back and flagging limbs began to lessen and he felt his descent slowing. As he decelerated, there was a blast of light that shot past his face like a shooting star. Littlefoot blinked at the sharp intensity of the blue tailed comet of light as it blazed towards the infinite dark pit beneath him. He gasped as another electric blue bolt of light rained down from above closely followed by another.

Soon, the pitch black was enflared by a sparking curtain of neon blue lights raining down around him. The light brought Littlefoot some comfort as he felt his body suddenly tip and roll around so his feet were now under him, prepping him for landing. Suddenly, he had an inkling of where he was. He had been here before, but it had been some time since he last found himself floating within the vivid walls of this ethereal, glowing crypt. It was here where he first discovered his fateful participation in the events that he, his friends and a handful of humans helped prevent a cataclysmic disaster that sought the world's end. His role as the Guardian and his possession of one of the Stones of Essence. The Guardian's Tear Sapphire. He began to remember all the features of this foretold destiny that he would play out.

A bright glowing platform shone beneath him as Littlefoot finally touched solid ground, hardly a dip of his knees as the pads of his four feet landed one after the other. He looked up at the luminescent walls that reached high into the darkened heavens. The surrounding walls began to shrink inwards towards him and the intensity of the blue light strengthened forcing the nervous longneck to dip his head and shut his eyes to prevent going blind. After a second or two, Littlefoot opened his eyes one at a time and slowly looked up. He gaped as found himself back in the Crypt of Glowing Waterfalls, the very place he had his destiny read to him by a mysterious entity who took the form as a glowing white longneck. The majesty of this otherworldly place was of such splendour that Littlefoot found himself breathtaken yet again. Three walls enclosed the crypt into a compact yet spacious triangular room. Each of the walls were coloured specifically by a sea of sparking lights that flowed like running water yet was completely silent. The wall behind Littlefoot, as if to be flying a team banner in his honour, was the same electric blue as the tunnel of light that transported him here. To his left was a luscious shade of forest green and to his right was a warm pulsing hue of red that almost admitted a wave of warmth to the room. In the centre of the crypt was a raised triangular pedestal that Littlefoot remembered witnessing the ghostly longneck materialising before him upon his arrival. Despite its wondrous natural décor, Littlefoot felt unnerved to be standing there all alone. For some reason, nothing had happened since he appeared within the crypt and the silence was eerie.

"H-hello?" Littlefoot then said finally finding his voice but he was not acknowledged. He glanced around, not daring to move from his spot in case it triggered something. As much as he had visited the crypt on more than one occasion, he still wasn't sure on how the place worked. The end of his nose tingled as he remembered his first visit whereby he had walked face first into an invisible wall.

"Hey! Is…is anyone there?" Littlefoot called again but again he received no reply. Sighing heavily, he sat down on the floor that rippled like a lake's surface.

"…Why am I here again?" Littlefoot said in a huff. Just then, Littlefoot flinched as a drop of water dripped onto the end of his nose. Flicking the wet from his face, Littlefoot looked up to see where the drip had come from. Scanning the air above him, he saw a few more drops leak out of the dark sky and land close to him.

"Sky water? In here?" Littlefoot hummed, "But, there are no clouds. How could there be sky water?"

More droplets fell from the blackness overhead until suddenly, the whole crypt was awash with a torrent of rain. Littlefoot cringed as the rain dive-bombed on him but there was nowhere to seek shelter from the storm that had suddenly started. That's when Littlefoot heard a dreadful sound emanate from overhead. It sounded like the tumbling of a crashing wave. A powerful shifting of a large body of water. Cautiously, Littlefoot looked up and gaped in horror as he saw the red curtain of light suddenly peel away from the wall and curve into the centre of the crypt high above him. Snapping his head to left, he saw the wall of glowing green suddenly do the same, arching to meet the red curtain in the middle. Littlefoot leapt to his feet and backed towards the pedestal in the centre of the room as the curtain of blue mimicked the other walls and bowed to touch the others in the middle. In amongst the pouring rain Littlefoot stared up as each of the watery walls of light suddenly drained of their respective colours and turned a shade of stony grey. Littlefoot felt a lock of air wedge in his throat as he gawked at the archway curved over him. Then, he let out a scream as he saw the arch suddenly collapse. The wall of lights had transformed into a tumbling rush of water and slammed into the crypt from overhead. The flood consumed the entire room.

Littlefoot could only save the last of his breath he hadn't lost through screaming and tuck himself as small as possible as the wave of water struck him with concussive force. The impact threw Littlefoot into a crazed spin within the possessed liquid as he felt the pressure of the sheer volume begin to squeeze him. Littlefoot's chest pulled tight as he felt the residual air he had left in his lungs beg to be released. Unable to fight the burning tearing in his chest, he let the last breath of air burst out through his mouth in a murky bubble. Within an instant, Littlefoot felt his consciousness drain and he lulled in the water lifelessly.

Assured of his death, Littlefoot was amazed to find himself able to open his eyes some time later to discover that he was somehow, still alive. Hauling himself to standing, he looked around at his environment to find himself in what appeared to be a cavern of some sort. With next to no light, all he could make out were the rugged walls of rock that shaped the roughly circular room.

"Where am I now?" Littlefoot whined. The bizarre wall of water had somehow completely disappeared as if it had all evaporated or been sucked up into the stony floor. Gingerly, he took a step forwards taking care not to disturb anything. However, the moment his foot make contact with the floor, an eerie groan echoed through the dark cave. Littlefoot froze and whipped his head to and fro trying to locate the noise.

"Wh-who… who's that?" he stammered unsure if he was asking the noise to identify itself, or if he was asking himself the question. The groan echoed again. It sounded like someone was in pain, although it sounded louder and closer this time. Littlefoot began to tremble. He felt like something knew he was there and was watching him. The chill of the air made him shiver even more as he whirled around to try and locate the source of the noise. Littlefoot's heart thumped thunderously inside him as he heard a crash and tumble of rubble from behind. Littlefoot leapt and spun one-eighty degrees as he saw a hole appear in the rocky wall. An icy blast of air shot down his throat as he gasped. He saw something come stumbling out of the newly forged entrance. It was a creature Littlefoot had spent a long time trying to forget.

"Oh no!" he squeaked feebly, "not those things!"

The creature looked and stood like a human but walked clumsily like its joints were stiff and arthritic. Its skin was disgustingly miscoloured and appeared to hang off the creature's frame. The sight of the creature almost made him physically sick as part of its torso had ripped holes in it where innards were visible to the outside world. With such gruesomely terminal injuries, there would be no conceivable explanation as to how this creature was animate yet it was trudging into the cave uttering pathetic moans of discomfort, longing to tear apart anything it could get hold of. Its soulless gaze bore hungrily into Littlefoot's wide fearful eyes as it inched closer. Littlefoot urged his quivering legs to back away from the advancing creature but another eruption obliterated the wall behind him. Littlefoot yelped and spun again as more of the undead creatures began to spill into the room. Within minutes, the darkened cavern was swamped with the putrid stench of decayed flesh and sullen moans of the creatures. Poor Littlefoot found himself hopelessly trapped.

Littlefoot could only stand in the centre of the cavern as he watched the undead humans close in on him from all sides in the low light. He felt one of them take swipe for his tail, which he quickly retracted out of grabbing range. But as he refocused his view forwards, one of the creatures took a lunge at him, its gangly fingers and teeth bared. Littlefoot screamed as he instinctively ducked his head into his body and slammed his eyes shut. Then, before he had realised what he had done, with an arcing swing, Littlefoot threw his head out at the attacking monster. He felt his head connect with the creature's body and there was a sharp flash of electric blue behind his sealed eyelids. Littlefoot snapped his eyes open just at that moment to see the creature rocket backward with the blow and burn up as if the atmosphere had devoured it. In a second the creature was gone. Littlefoot suddenly felt a flood of warmth pour into him. It sucked itself in from the very tips of his toes and tail and coursed down every nerve and vein in his body until it stuck fast in his heart which began to beat with a new vigorous strength. The warmth pulsed with a vibrant energy that seemed to glow in Littlefoot's eyes. The rush was almost euphoric but Littlefoot quickly remembered what this surge was to signify. His power as a Guardian had once again returned to him in a time of great crisis. The flush of energy seemed to eradicate the overwhelming sense of fear that had gripped him before and Littlefoot breathed deep with a new air of confidence. Now, he felt he could fight back.

Narrowing his eyes dangerously, Littlefoot leapt forwards into the crowd. Before his sight was a shimmering blue, concave shield that rippled like sheet of water trapped within a transparent barrier.

"The power of the Guardian's Tear Sapphire," Littlefoot heard himself sing with pride, "the power to protect life and safeguard its flow." With his head aimed low, Littlefoot charged into the stumbling monsters who were all bowled over as they were rammed aside. Within seconds, their flailing bodies burned up in the air and disintegrated into nothing. Littlefoot made as many wild swings and mad dashes through the crowd of undead humans as he could, cleaving a path through them. After a while, Littlefoot began to feel fatigue settling into his overworking muscles. Panting, he turned to see the efforts of his labours but he was horrified to see that the more creatures he disposed of, the more seemed to be pouring in. Littlefoot strained to shift again but he quickly found himself unable to keep fighting so aggressively. Before long, Littlefoot found his aching legs were struggling to support him and he flopped down exhausted in the middle of the cavern. He was overwhelmed.

"It's no use…" he puffed hard, "there are too many of them…and they keep coming." The crushing sense of defeat began to rekindle the fear of dread as Littlefoot flicked one last monster clear of him. Alas, the space he had create in that moment was instantly filled with more undead humans.

Just as Littlefoot was about to bow down and accept his fate, There was a sudden ring of reverberating metal and a flash of strobing red. Littlefoot looked up to see a ribbon of red light tear through the monsters lumbering over him. In an instant, their bodies burned up and fizzled into the air. Once they had crumbled to dust, Littlefoot felt his dampened spirits soar as he saw a figure standing over him. It was a young human who stood with pulsing red light in his right hand shaped like a sword's blade. He looked adolescent by age but stood tall and strong. Looking up, Littlefoot couldn't believe his eyes when he recognised the face staring back at him.

"J-Jason?" Littlefoot stammered in awe.

"Warrior," the boy returned bluntly as he helped Littlefoot to his feet. Littlefoot's mind quickly ticked over as the name boy said played over in his head.

"_Warrior__…__the__red__stone_," Littlefoot thought, "_Warrior__'__s__Heart__Ruby__…__Jason__'__s__stone_."

"Guardian. I'm here to help. I will fight with you to rid the world of these foul beings."

"Erm…okay," Littlefoot stuttered dumbly. It was clear that whilst this boy looked and sounded like his human friend, he did not carry his personality or traits the real Jason had when they were living together in the Great Valley. Still, it empowered the weary longneck to see even a form of his friend fighting alongside him and granted him a second wind.

"Look out!" the Warrior yelled as he pulled Littlefoot aside and out of harm's way. Stumbling, Littlefoot reeled around to see the boy take a spinning sweep and cleaved through three advancing monsters as they all lunged at the same time. The Warrior looked back and locked eyes with the longneck for a moment. Then, he nodded to him before charging off into the battle with a roaring warcry. Turning in the opposite direction, Littlefoot continued his fight as more enemies poured in from the open walls. The Warrior ran at another advancing monster. Holding his glowing red blade in two hands, he held it arched over his head and behind his back and cried out, "BRAVER!"

Channelling his strength into the attack, the boy gave a short leap as his enemy dove in for a killing bite. As his feet touched the ground again, the Warrior swung his sword over his head and down to the floor with all his might. The helm splitting attack severed the poor beast in two as the vertical halves peeled apart from each other and disintegrated to dust.

"Guardian! We need to seal those entrances!" the Warrior shouted above the noise to Littlefoot as he skewered another creature and kicked it off his glowing sword. Having dispatched another enemy, Littlefoot looked over at the holes in the wall. With the waves of monsters coming into the room, there was no way they could block off their entrances and keep fighting.

"How? There's too many of them!" Littlefoot cried as he clumsily dodged an incoming swing from a flanking undead.

Staggering with the dodge, Littlefoot found himself back in the centre of the room. He felt the Warrior bump into his rear as they found themselves surrounded.

"This is fruitless. They keep spawning from those tunnels Guardian," the Warrior reported breathlessly as they stood back to back.

"What do we do now?" Littlefoot asked wheezing. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep fighting.

"Do not give up hope just yet Guardian. There is still one more of us to arrive," the boy then said. Littlefoot glanced back at his friend and saw a glint in his fiery eyes. Before he could ask, there was a sudden crack of lightning from within the cavern. The darkness was pierced by the bright flash as a pool of light seeped up into the cave from the floor like a leaking fountain. The creatures all stopped and groaned in agony at the light as something suddenly leapt up from the glowing green disc on the ground. Littlefoot almost missed its swift movement as the launched object opened out. A human materialised from out of the green light, turned a complete somersault before slamming down onto the floor. The magnitude of the forceful landing sent a crackling green shockwave out from the epicentre which threw every enemy from its stance and sent them sprawling across the room.

Littlefoot looked on in amazement as he saw the human stand up slowly. Unlike the Warrior who had taken on the physical form of his friend Jason, this human was completely different. Dressed in a black and red trimmed combat uniform, its body was slender but stood with power and authority. As it turned, Littlefoot instantly recognised the female face looking back at him.

"Jill!" Littlefoot breathed in shock.

"Summoner! Glad you could make it," the Warrior said sharply.

"Just in time I see," the woman said, she then strolled over to Littlefoot and placed a warm hand on his shoulder, "good to see you again Guardian." Littlefoot flinched at first but then remember that Jill was the third stone holder. It was odd that neither of his human friends would refer to him by his actual name but he knew why. She was the Summoner and keeper of the Summoner's Soul Emerald. It was with these powers combined that Littlefoot, Jason and Jill had managed to overcome the evils of the Red Phoenix and the hellish creatures her creators had spawn.

"Ready yourself my friends. Let us destroy these monsters once and for all!" the Summoner said with valour.

As they launched themselves into battle again, Littlefoot felt his spirits rise again. Seeing both Jill and Jason fighting alongside him again made him feel like he could accomplish anything. Taking an area each, they fought bravely to clear the enemies from their midst. Littlefoot glanced back to watch Jill as she moved with deadly grace. Her hands aflame in green gauntlets that flashed down her forearms. She darted for a nearby enemy and delivered a quick three-hit punching combo to its body and head. Turning to another she leapt up high and arched herself into a lofty backwards somersault; her slender legs extended and split one in front of the other to deliver a rising uppercutting kick to the advancing monsters face. The connection was brutal as the creature flipped head over heels madly and crumbled away before it hit the ground. As she landed crouched on the ground, she then spun around low on the spot, her right foot stretched out to sweep the incoming wave of undead humans off their feet. Their bodies splashed with green flames as they collapsed to the ground and disappeared. Having cleared some breathing room, Jill turned to Littlefoot and gave him a quick wink which made him smiled sheepishly.

They quickly dispatched another tiring wave of enemies but they soon heard the grunts and groans of another horde heading for them.

"They are still coming?" the Warrior roared.

"We have to block off those passageways!" Littlefoot announced. He then glanced over to Jill who acted instantly.

"Keep them off me whilst I focus," she said as she hovered her hands in front of each other. A glowing ball of light began to form in the space between her palms.

"Let's go Guardian!" Jason yelled to Littlefoot.

"Right!" he replied as he charged at another fleet of undead humans entering the cavern. Peeling through them, Littlefoot glanced back at his comrades as his last enemy evaporated from the battle. Jill was still concentrating on the ball of energy in her hands, chanting some inaudible words whilst Jason was violently dispatching the undead at the opposite end.

"How much longer?" Jason yelled as he tore through another enemy.

"Almost there!" Jill shouted without opening her eyes.

All of a sudden, there was deafening screech that shook the whole cave. Everyone and everything stopped for a moment as the sound emanated through the cavern.

"What was that?" the Warrior asked fretfully.

"It sounded like…a flyer," Littlefoot said cautiously. Then, it struck him, "Oh no!"

"It can't be!" the Summoner then said opening her eyes. The ball of energy still in her hands, "we have to hurry! It's coming!"

"What's coming?" the Warrior asked but he quickly wished he hadn't. Without warning, the roof of the cave suddenly exploded and blew apart revealing a darkened heaven. From this black sky came the soaring of what appeared to be a streaking flame darting about in the air. Littlefoot's jaw dropped when he heard a screeching cry ring out from the flame.

"The Red Phoenix!" he breathed in horror. As he uttered its name, the licking flame suddenly curled in on itself and then threw two flaming wings out to maximum span. A flaming eagle hovered above glaring at three of them.

It was like a recreation of their arduous battle. The horde of undead creature mercilessly preying upon their victims were just the pawns of the greater power that controlled them all. A monster created by hellish means that sought to destroy the world; it had returned. The undead creatures seems to endure a boosted morale at the sight of their ruler lingering overhead. They came thicker and faster than before. The Summoner was forced to abandon her spell and launch her attack prematurely.

"Guardian! Warrior! Get down!" she ordered as she lifted the ball of focused energy into the air. Littlefoot and Jason both dropped to the ground as the ball erupted. The explosion tore through the cave causing the wall to quiver violently. Littlefoot watched as the walls came crashing down blocking the tunnels off, preventing anymore creatures from entering.

"She did it!" he whispered silently to himself ecstatically but his joy was short-lived. No sooner had Jill blocked the tunnels, the phoenix overhead let out another angry cry. Gazing up at the blazing monster, they witnessed thin streaks of fire shoot out from the phoenix's wings like it was sheading flaming feathers. The flames shot to the walls where they ignited and exploded with such force it threw all three of them from their feet.

"Damn it! That beast blew open the tunnels again!" the Warrior yelled. The Summoner looked lost as she glanced over at Littlefoot.

"Guardian! What do we do now? We are done for!"

Littlefoot couldn't believe it. They had fought this battle before and won. How could they suddenly fail this time? Shaking the despairing thought from his head, he looked up at the phoenix and got an idea.

"No, this is not over yet!" he yelled back defiantly, "we need to work together to get rid of the phoenix."

"Yes. If we combine our strengths, we can destroy that winged beast!" the Warrior said valiantly as he saw off another advance of gnashing teeth. Without another word, they all seemed to know what to do. The Summoner began chanting again whilst Littlefoot and the Warrior guarded her.

"Are you ready Guardian? We will only get one shot at this," Jason said to Littlefoot as they past each other to finish over each other's attackers.

"I'm ready," Littlefoot said strongly. He dashed over to the opposite end of the cave and stood firmly facing Jason.

"The spell is ready!" Jill suddenly cried as a pulsing green orb floated in her hands.

"GO!" Littlefoot then shouted. The movements were swift and seamless as each of them played their part.

The Summoner launched her glowing green sphere into the centre of the room and called over to the Warrior. Acknowledging her shout, he wound up his sword arm and threw the glowing blade of red light at the sphere. It shot like a luminous arrow and pierced the sphere where it became infused with crackling streaks of green lightning.

"Guardian!" Jason then shouted over to Littlefoot at the far end of the cave. Littlefoot dug his heels into the ground as his shimmering blue shield glistened before his eyes. The sparking sword was aimed straight at him and marked to kill. Littlefoot gritted his teeth as the sword hit him head on. His shield seemed to swallow the sword for a split second as it struck allowing Littlefoot a fraction of a second to tilt his head up and aim for the phoenix. The sword ricocheted off the shield and blasted skywards now enveloped in a swirling spiral of neon blue along with the sparks of green electricity. There was a pause for breath as the sword bolted for the phoenix where it hit its mark with phenomenal speed. The sword tore straight through the phoenix which immediately burst into a spray of flames and sparking stray energy. At the same time, the undead creatures that had been relentlessly tormenting them all the entire time all burned up and evaporated into the air.

Exhausted from the incredible battle, the three fighters all convened in the middle of the roofless cave and congratulated each other. Littlefoot, utterly worn out from the fight smiled as he looked at his friends. Despite being called by his title, he didn't feel like his battle could have been achieved without them. As they spoke, a beam of light slowly began to appear from the centre of the cave. They all stood back as the ghostly figure of a longnecked dinosaur began to fill the room. As her form materialised before them, she spoke in a wonderfully caring and motherly tone.

"Defenders of life's balance. The world's sacred lights. You have once again fought bravely to ensure that the balance remains intact. Thank you, we are all indebted to you."

"But why are those things back? I thought they were gone with the Red Phoenix?" Littlefoot said.

"The threat of those wishing to unsettle the balance is on-going child. In fact, as we speak, a new evil looks to overthrow the balance."

"Who and why?" Littlefoot beseeched.

"Unfortunately, despite your valiant efforts, the true nature of the Stones of Essence have only just come into fruition. It is that in which this new threat seeks and will surely bring about a catastrophe unlike anything we have witnessed."

"The true nature? I-I don't understand," Littlefoot said shaking his head. Nothing seemed to be making any sense to him.

"Whilst you brave souls fight as Sacred Lights, the Stones you each possess harbours a terrible secret. One that could very well tear the world apart should it ever be revealed," the old longneck warned.

"What secret? What should I do?" Littlefoot said feeling helpless. He was beginning to wonder if he really wanted to continue being one of the stone holders if they were to carry such an awful burden. He also realised that he was the only one of the group asking questions. Jason and Jill had not said a word as if this was all prior knowledge to them. They just stood attentively to Littlefoot's side just behind him.

"Do not doubt the strength and power you have Guardian. They have seen you through many a trying time where you thought all was lost. Together with your companions, you can achieve anything," the ghostly longneck said softly.

"Please tell me. What is this terrible secret and what can we do to stop it?" Littlefoot asked anxiously. He was finding it difficult to keep the mix of anger and nervousness out of his voice.

"The secret is in the unity of the stones. The Heaven's Eternity Crystal, forged of the three stones you each have, is not the final form the stones can create."

"It's not?" Littlefoot gasped. His mind suddenly flashed back to the merging of the three stones. He, Jill and Jason had to form what they thought was the great power ever known. Clearly they were wrong; they had missed something. The ghostly longneck continued,

"The Stones of Essence have a missing relative. There is one more stone that another holds which unlocks the true purpose of the stones." Littlefoot's brain clicked in an instant.

"The yellow stone! The one Kairyn has! He is the last stone holder, I know it!" he yelled excitedly.

"So, final stone has been found," the longneck said slowly. However, Littlefoot did not like the way her tone had changed. It had dropped to sound almost dismayed and defeated.

"Yes, he's the one," Littlefoot said again.

"Then, the dark secret of the stones is doomed to be unveiled…and we are all lost," the longneck said with a sigh.

Littlefoot stood confused. Surely, the discovery of the fourth and final stone would be a good thing but the elderly longneck's expression showed only despair. Before he could ask another question, there was a sudden rush of the wind. Littlefoot looked around as felt the wind tearing around the cave whipping up anything loose it could carry. Rocks and boulders swirled around them as the walls began to crumble. Littlefoot gasped as malevolent red sparks of lightning shot through the air zipping past his line of sight.

"Wh-what's going on?" Littlefoot quivered as the wind continued to spin around them. Then, the elderly longneck let out a muffled yelp of pain. Littlefoot looked up at the glowing light where the longneck was stood. To his horror, he saw a set of black spikes protruding through her body at horrific angles. They looked like they had sprung up from the floor and shot directly into her. Just as Littlefoot was about to rush forward, he heard another set of screams, this time from beside him. Littlefoot almost broke down where he stood as he saw Jill and Jason both lifted off the ground. Giant shadowy stalagmites pierced through their backs and out their chest and stomach. The sight of them impaled made him feel incredibly sick as they twitched on their spikes, struggling to breathe.

"What…WHAT'S GOING ON?" Littlefoot screamed in crippling fear. Tears welled up in his eyes as he suddenly heard a deep cackling laugh boom from overhead.

"Your precious friends are gone. You have nothing left to fight with," the disembodied voice bellowed, "the time of the Sacred Lights is now over, you've lost. The time for the rule of darkness is now primed to begin. The balance has been shattered."

"Who…who are you? What have you done with my friends?" Littlefoot shouted to the roaring air.

"They are lost to the darkness. Do not mourn for them. Seeing how it is your own fault that they are lost. Now that I've found you, you will be joining them shortly," the menacing voice continued to boom. Littlefoot was completely at sea. Despite everything he and his friends had fought for, it was clearly for nought. They had failed and now his friends were doomed to the new looming power of darkness. Worst of all, somehow, Littlefoot was to blame for their downfall. But why?

"Pitiful creature. Your struggle is finally over."

With that, Littlefoot looked up to the sky that had become a swirling vortex of evil black, crimson and purple. The very world around him began to twist and distort, the ground cracked and splintered underneath him. Before his eyes, the pinned body of the longneck elder suddenly burst into fragments of white light before fading out. Littlefoot turned to the now still bodies of Jill and Jason, the Summoner and Warrior, just in time to see them dissolve into their respective lights of green and red before their lights fell like glittering dust to the floor. The world he was standing in was at an end. As the vicious winds whipped away Littlefoot's tears from his face, he looked up once more to the hallowed heavens. A pair of demonic yellow eyes snapped open before the swirling portal and glared at the little longneck. Littlefoot fell to the ground in dismay as he saw a row of shadowy spikes worm up from the ground. They were bent with their tips aimed directly for him. There was no escaping fate this time.

"Farewell…Guardian…" the voice said finally before the spike lurched forwards like a group of lunging vipers. Littlefoot merely closed his eyes as a final tear fell to the ground as the deathly strike came in.

It had been a long time since a dream had awoken him from such a sound sleep, but tonight, Littlefoot awoke screaming hysterically. He was so badly shaken by his nightmare that he almost didn't hear someone calling his name.

"Littlefoot! Littlefoot! What's wrong?" the voice said. Disoriented, Littlefoot looked around to see Kairyn crouched next to him staring him dead in the face.

"Littlefoot? What's wrong? Talk to me! Are you alright?" Kairyn asked hurryingly. Littlefoot couldn't muster the strength to answer. He simply threw himself at Kairyn and buried his head in the boy's chest panting hard. Kairyn, shocked at first, slowly curled his arms around him cradling the young longneck's head.

"Littlefoot? Are you okay?" Grandpa Longneck's voice sounded urgently. Both he and Grandma Longneck had woken up due to the commotion and walked over to where Kairyn was cradling Littlefoot who was whimpering softly.

"What happened?" Grandma Longneck asked looking at Kairyn.

"I dunno. He just woke up screaming. Must have been a nightmare or something," Kairyn said looking bewildered, "Man, that must have been some nightmare to have him scream like that. He's still shaking." He looked down at Littlefoot as he sobbed into his chest. Stroking the back of his head gingerly, he tried to calm him down. Littlefoot had never felt so disturbed. Whilst the warmth from Kairyn's body helped settle him a bit, the visions he had just seen in his dream were burnt into the back of his mind. If any of it was to be believed, they could all very well be in serious trouble.


	31. The Secret of the Stones

Chapter 30: The Secret of the Stones

It had been a few days since the night of the grisly murders that took place at Keltech Laboratories and things had not gotten any quieter despite efforts to return to a normal working environment. The public relations department had spent the time since the incident battling off wave after wave of media press trying desperate to get a leaked word out of any employee about the 'accident' that claimed the lives of a number of scientists; some of them greatly respected amongst technological social circles. Naturally, denial of all knowledge of allegations and vicious rumours that the multi-billion pound corporation headquarters was attacked by an unknown assailant was the one and only story that the strobing photographers and bustling reporters got as they jabbed and jousted their microphones and portable recording devices into every inch of air space between themselves and the speaking representatives. Every day saw a new interview aired telling the tragic tales of the widows, widowers and their grieving families as speculation mounted and consumed the broadcasting airwaves. All this excitement and public fronting didn't seem to faze Director Thorne at all as he sat in his monstrously oversized leather chair behind a twisted sculpture of glass and cold metal he had for a desk. He was completely enclosed with the confines of his personal office where the outside world could be blotted out at a mere whim. He was, however, transfixed on something. His eyes flickered randomly at the text and data streams that glided over his holographic screen that floated above his desk; the projection coming from a wide, curled swan neck of chrome that resembled a thin stripped reading lamp. Thorne raised a hand and brushed over the screen with his fingertips, flicking graphics and graphs out of the way as new data streams came in thick and fast.

Then, something of interest caught his eye and his dismissing hand hovered in the air, unmoving for a moment. He hummed curiously as he leaned and tapped the surface of his desk. A holographic keyboard popped up over the glass as he began tapping at it to reply to the message he had just received. With a smug grin, his pecked at the return glyph and the message disappeared from his screen. With the mail sent, Thorne leaned back in his chair allowing it to cradle him gently with a creaking sway.

"Looks like we're almost ready to go…" he grinned to himself. He reached forwards and tapped the top of the metal strip that housed the holographic screen and it sucked it back up into itself to enter standby mode. With a rocking lurch, Thorne hoisted himself out of his chair, straightened his two thousand pound two-piece suit jacket and headed for door out into the hallway.

After a short lift ride down to the labs, Thorne strutted out into the glowing corridors that masked the death and destruction of that fateful night with unerring professionalism. Everything was back the way it was leaving no trace of the conflict with either the Black Ghost or the mysterious creature that called himself Zeiger. The security officer for the floor, Sergeant Madden, stood up to attention as the director past his terminal.

"Director Thorne," he said sharply in his thick Scottish accent. Thorne acknowledged with a dismissive nod but didn't break his stride.

"Professor Clements asked that yeh meet 'em in his lab as soon as possible sir," the guard said as he shimmied around his desk to walk side by side with the director. By relative size, he towered over his superior but the balance of power was never in doubt.

"Has there been any developments to report Sergeant?" Thorne barked without even a sideways glance.

"No sir. The professor's been banged up in his lab since the incident a few nights passed. Prob'ly still grievin' over losing little Melissa. The poor fella."

"Despite that setback, Professor Clements remains focused on the task at hand and understands what goal remains is in sight," Thorne said coldly.

"Setback? Forgive my tone sir but he's jus' lost his wee little granddaughter! I think he's entitled to feel a little upset by that fact!" the guard said sounding cut by the director's steely choice of words.

"He understands what is at stake Sergeant and he remains focused on the goal," Thorne said flatly before turning to finally look at the giant man square in his eye. "And if we want all this to come to a meaningful conclusion, you should remain focused too." The giant man froze in his tracks and watched as the director continued to march down the corridor, around the corner and out of sight. His dumbfounded mien fell into a frown as he heard the clapping of hard soles on the marble finished floor disappear off into the distance. With a snort, he turned on his heels and headed back to his post.

Clearly feeling no remorse from his brief interaction with the Sergeant, Thorne made his way through the bustling corridors that saw multiple white coats flicking here and there as their owners made sharp twists and turns between the sliding doors of neighbouring laboratories. Only the odd eye flashed at the director's presence coupled with a brief gasp as if they'd just been caught doing something they weren't supposed to be doing. Still, Thorne's gait failed to slow as he rounded another corner and came to a laboratory door that did not open on approach. Thorne snickered to himself as he dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a translucent card and held it parallel to a panel just to the right side of the door. The console blipped as it verified the biometric data interwoven into the card. The security system required that the biometrics transplanted into the card be paired with the card owner in order to work. Just another technological advancement implemented from within Keltech's busy walls.

The defiant door reluctantly slid open allowing Thorne to step into the bleached white room. Its dimensions were impressive but most of the space was occupied by large chrome tanks with a small porthole window in it. At the far end of the lab, Professor Clements spun around on a stool to face him having been hunched over a workstation when he heard the clapping of hard soles on the polished floor.

"Preparations are almost complete I understand Professor," Thorne's slicked accent hummed tunefully as he came to a stop just in front of Clements.

"Yes. There are just a last few details to attend to. Otherwise we are pretty much set to go," the old man said. Looking up at the director, Thorne could see that the professor was drained. His sagging, dark eyes told the tell-tale signs of sleep deprivation. In contrast to his gaunt face, he looked like the very life had ebbed and flooded out of him.

"What sort of details need addressing?" Thorne pressed on.

"Besides the packing of necessary equipment, supplies and the like, some calibrations for transporting organic and inorganic matter need to be properly configured. Otherwise we may have some men coming out the other end spliced with a metal supply case," the professor said sternly. "We're still not fully confident on the mechanics and logistics of this type of technology. There is still much we don't understand and of what we do understand, there are still areas of uncertainty."

"Give us some credit professor," Thorne said jauntily. "We discovered much in these short few years and made great advancements within months. I think we can feel safe in the knowledge that we have amalgamated a substantial amount of information about this dark matter, it properties and the factors that filter into its functions."

"You mean the work Stephen Taylor theorised and confirmed…" Clements then said cuttingly. "The data and recordings that only he had access to and have since been impossible decipher by anyone." Director Thorne's smirk quickly vanished at this remark.

"A minor setback. His notes and work will be decoded in time but for now we need to remain focused on getting this project in motion." With that, Thorne spun on his heels to face the door but he didn't step forwards.

"Where is our newly promoted Colonel? Off enjoying his new title and polishing his new badge?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Probably getting those thuggish boy scouts of his in line in the briefing room. I cannot believe you gave that behemoth of a man such a ranking boost. It's unheard of. It's bad enough you are leaving the security for our highest priority project down to a bunch of hooligans whose only battle experiences are drunken bar brawls."

"I'd say he deserves it given his loyalty to the firm for so long. Besides, those boy scouts are gonna need a serious shot of morale if they're going to be part of this mission. No better dose than a drilling pep-talk from a newly ranked officer wouldn't you agree?" Professor Clements snorted indignantly as he swivelled around to his workstation again.

"What about Stephen's eldest? I heard he's starting to become unruly; especially after that run in with that black creature," the professor muttered.

"Schneider will keep him in check. Who knows? He might even become a hero for his dutiful actions as we head off into our brave new world. It's just the kind of potent energy we need for this kind of investigation. An undying passion to avenge a lost sibling and murdered father," Thorne drooled, his smirk returning.

"Why'd you say that?" Professor Clements said without turning around.

"Something tells me that that Zeiger character has more to do with this than we currently realise. And that fabled Black Ghost; they are both hiding something. I've got a hunch that they can supply us with all the information we need to see this project through to its completion. I wouldn't be surprised if that boy is the one to wrangle them both in for us." The professor snorted again waving off the idea.

"Anyway, at least he's showing some compassion for his losses," the director then said darkly as he took his first few steps towards the lab doors. "It's not like you've been showing much distress over the loss of your granddaughter, now is it?" Professor Clements froze in his seat. His bony fingers quivered at the director's words as he heard the electronics of the door shift into the open position and then click shut as Thorne left the room.

The morning sunlight was beginning to gently warm the Great Valley with the dawn of a new day. Littlefoot, however, had not been able to catch another wink of sleep since his nightmare a few hours ago. He sat awake watching the sun shyly illuminate the sheltered little copse around him as golden beams snaked between the trees and flared like stars in the gaps in the canopies. Despite being awake for so long, the familiar ambient sound of the Valley helped to calm his frayed nerves and keep him grounded in reality. Keeping him as far away from his foreboding dreams as possible. Littlefoot found a little solace in the fact that Kairyn had leapt down from the tree he was sleeping in and comforted him for a while when he first woke up. Just to feel the warmth of his friend's body as he cradled his head was soothing enough to dissipate the panic flooding every inch of him. The added gesture of sitting beside him for the rest of the night started out with a nonsense chat to keep Littlefoot's mind off of what he'd just been through but eventually, untroubled by his own dreams, Kairyn nodded off. Littlefoot glanced back to see the boy slumped up against the base of the tree in imminent danger of lolling to one side and falling over. He couldn't help but giggle slightly at how ungraceful Kairyn looked and immediately felt glad for having him here with him. It reminded him of the days when Jason was around. A nostalgic tinge that eased the settling even more.

Littlefoot looked back up at the sky that was still a burning shade of early morning orange slowly conquering the deep hues of the fading night. He sighed as his thoughts began to wander again. As kind as it was of Kairyn to try and keep his mind from his nightmare, it was still a prominence he couldn't shake. It wasn't the fighting with creatures or the reincarnated phoenix that rocked him so much. It was the interaction with his friends, the two other Chosens, and the ghostly longneck who had been guiding him the whole way. Her words had always been ones of hope, determination and promise, particularly when he, himself, was lost and confused. This time, she sounded so crestfallen he thought she might break down in tears. Like everything that they had fought for and achieved up until this point was all for nought. What puzzled him even more was that, for once, Littlefoot felt it was one step ahead when he reported that he'd already found out who the fourth Stone of Essence holder was. He even felt a little excited that it was someone he'd already bonded with quite well but when the ghostly longneck started voicing words of despair and discord at the relevance, Littlefoot felt more perplexed than ever. Why was the revealing of the final stone a bad omen? What could its presence mean that was so damning that it would made the spectral dinosaur act so downcast?

Then, Littlefoot's thoughts flickered unavoidably to the harrowing scenes of the longneck and his companions being brutally slain. Black, snaking tentacles just shot up from the ground like spurting stalagmites and ran them through in a second. Cold and merciless butchery. No one could have seen it coming. Littlefoot felt his pulse quicken as he remembered looking up at the chaotic sky and seeing the piercing eyes glaring down on him. Its booming, disembodied voice pleasured at damning Littlefoot for bringing the fate of destruction upon them all. A mistake he'd made; he was responsible for. He dipped his head and stared at the grass.

"But what? What did I do wrong? Why is it my fault?" Littlefoot mumbled to himself.

"Our fate is often not one of our choosing…" a voice then said over him. Littlefoot jumped and quickly snapped his head around.

"H-huh? Who's that?" Littlefoot babbled. He then saw a few loose leaves spin and flip down to the ground just off to his right. Tracing their trail upwards, Littlefoot let out a frightened yelp as he saw a shadowed figure perched on one of the lower branches a tree opposite to where he was.

"Black Ghost? What are you…? How did…?" Littlefoot called in surprise. The hooded figure thrust a vertical index finger up to his hidden face and Littlefoot immediately obeyed.

"Rough night last night?" the Black Ghost asked sounding genuinely sympathetic. Littlefoot nodded solemnly.

"I had a scary sleep story. About… friends…" he slurred.

"What happened to them?" the Black Ghost asked.

"They… umm… got hurt…" Littlefoot said hesitantly.

"Did they die?" the Black Ghost asked flatly. Littlefoot flinched but didn't say anything. "What killed them?"

"I dunno. Some sharp black things; kinda looked like spikes on a spiketail's tail. They looked like shadows that moved like vines as if they were alive. They grew and burst up from the ground." Littlefoot shuddered as he replayed his friends' deaths over again.

"Hmm… that is disturbing," the Black Ghost soothed, his gloved hand resting on the chin of his hood. "What happened next?"

Littlefoot hesitated again. Thinking about the horrors of his nightmare was bad enough, but having to talk about it and explaining every little detail was excruciating. Still, he mustered the courage to recount it all again.

"Yellow eyes?" the Black Ghost hummed thoughtfully.

"Yeah, like some kinda bloodthirsty sharptooth," Littlefoot said seeing the evil eyes flash before his own for a millisecond. He then caught onto the fact that the Black Ghost seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.

"What do you think it means?" he asked slightly nervously. He was somewhat anxious at what his answer might be. At the same time, he silently wondered if the Black Ghost was just humouring him and didn't really trust a word he was saying.

"I'm not sure. But if you're having these visions, then that means that we could be in more trouble than we first realised."

"You mean… you believe me?" Littlefoot then said amazed. His eyes lit up.

"I have every faith in your dreams Littlefoot. You should too. They've guided you before and you'd be a fool to disregard them now. Especially if they are giving you signs such as these."

Littlefoot suddenly felt overwhelmed. His dreams could be foretellings of what's to come? If that were true then he dreaded to think what could possibly turn up when they least expected it. The idea was beginning to make him feel paranoid. Yet still, somehow he was responsible for it all. But how?

"Don't trouble yourself about it too much Littlefoot. I know you are no stranger to hardships and danger. As a chosen holder of a Stone of Essence, you can overcome anything," the Black Ghost said encouragingly.

"Maybe… wait, what? How did you know I have a Stone of Essence?" Littlefoot reeled in awe.

"There is a lot I know about Littlefoot. Especially about you. I know you are the fabled Guardian and you hold in your possession the Guardian's Tear Sapphire to call upon its powers in dire times. A blue, curved shield of light that you use to protect the lives of those you treasure most by holding back those who seek to do them harm. A vanguard of life's flow. A perfect character fit for an ancient legend wouldn't you say?" Littlefoot shied for a second. By the tone of the Black Ghost's voice, if he could have seen his face, he could have imagined him smiling as he was speaking.

"But… how did you know?" Littlefoot asked. He was now hooked on every word so much that they had literally pulled him onto his feet.

"Your story is the very fabric of legend. I've been following that story of a long time now, in search of answers to its mysteries. More importantly, I'm interested in the stones themselves."

Littlefoot suddenly felt an awkward pang strike him in his gut. Kairyn's voice piped into his head running the same accusing tone that the Black Ghost could be tagging along for his own selfish needs. He let the cloaked figure continue.

"The other legendary lights fought beside you to rid the world of a terrible creature. One created by human's lust for power and dominion. You all used the power of the stones to vanquish this enemy. A power that now that lays dormant since the battle's end." The Black Ghost now leaned a little closer as Littlefoot edged forwards.

"Tell me, what's happened to the stones now your fight is over?" he asked carefully.

"Well… when the humans left to return to their own home, I swapped my stone with Jason's. Kinda like a gift to remember each other," Littlefoot recalled. "I haven't heard from any of them for long time now."

"And you've kept the stone with you all that time?" the Black Ghost asked. Littlefoot felt that niggling twinge kick him in the stomach again. His wrestled with his conscience questioning whether the hooded man before him could truly be trusted. Given how enigmatic he insisted on being before, he'd never been this forward.

"I can tell you are debating my intentions; a wise thought. Why would you trust a person who deems it necessary to hide everything? You'd be a fool not to question the idea that I might be up to no good."

"No, no… it's not that," Littlefoot said quickly. "I'm… just worried about what could happen. I don't want anything bad to happen to the Great Valley. Not after last time…"

"Such a caring heart you have Littlefoot. Look, I will not pressure you into telling me where your friend's stone is. After all, I owe you thanks. You gave me the chance to prove my loyalty to you and your friends. Seems as though you are the only one who can see through my appearance and see something good in me despite my… sudden outbursts."

"So what's wrong with you? Are you sick or something?" Littlefoot asked feeling a little more comfortable about speaking openly with the mysterious man now the topic had switched.

"In a way… I am cursed Littlefoot," the Black Ghost said slowly. Littlefoot tiptoed even closer so not to miss a word. "My body is infected with a presence that is slowly but surely consuming me. I can feel it… like a worm burrowing in my veins, polluting my mind. It fights me for consciousness; trying to take over. But I can't let that happen. If I submit to the demon inside, my very being will die and that evil could use my body to unleash pain and suffering everywhere I go. I'd be powerless to stop it."

"What is it that is making you sick?" Littlefoot asked curiously. He then noticed the Black Ghost raise his hands to his face and stared intensely at his palms.

"It has an ancient name but it has long since been forgotten. It is simply known now as _'The Corruption's Curse'_. It is an infestation that consumes the body and claims it for its own. Once you are cursed, it transforms you into a beast of unrecognisable form. You simply become an empty husk willed to do nothing but destroy."

"How do you know if you are… cursed?" Littlefoot asked apprehensively. The Black Ghost then did something Littlefoot was not expecting, besides leaping down out of the tree and nearly knocking heads with him. He watched as the Black Ghost raised his left hand, palm towards his hooded face, and slowly peeled the black glove from it. Littlefoot eyes went wide in shock. Unlike the tone of any other human's skin he had seen, the Black Ghost's hand was as unnaturally dark as the glove he had just removed. It looked more like he had shed a layer of skin rather than removing an item of clothing; it was charcoal black. Littlefoot recoiled but strangely, as repulsive as it looked, it didn't make him fear being near the Black Ghost any more than it did before.

"This is the sign of the Corruption's Curse. It claims its victims at varying speeds but no one truly knows what causes it. It grants incredible magicks to those with knowledge but at the dangerous cost of one's soul. That's why I can perform the inhuman feats you've seen me do but, it causes me some harm every time I do."

"Is-isn't there a way to stop it?" Littlefoot gulped.

"The Stones of Essence are the key to containing this wretched plague. They are connected somehow but I'm not sure exactly. I've been searching for one of the stones as a means to purge this curse and return me to normal again. That has been my mission for the past three years. Three long years suffering with this evil coursing through me. I've started to fear that I may not last much longer."

"So that's why you came with us? To get one of the stones?" The Black Ghost nodded as he replaced the glove back onto his hand. "But what about Jason and Jill? They had stones when they went back to the human world. If you knew about the stones and about us, why didn't you find them?"

"The timeline as moved on quite considerably since the chronicled end of the Sacred Lights' last fight. Some three hundred years. The whereabouts of the Warrior and Summoner and their respective stones have been lost and become nothing but stories now."

Littlefoot suddenly felt sick. Three hundred years had passed since Jason and Jill went back to their own realm? He couldn't comprehend how that could be possible. Three hundred years had not passed in the Great Valley, otherwise he and his friends would have been long gone by then. So how could that be?

"But… that doesn't make sense!" Littlefoot said finally. "It's only been a few years since they left the Great Valley. How can they have been gone for three HUNDRED years?"

"I'm not sure on the logistics of how it works but it has something to do with the stones. When they travelled back with them, something must have happened. Altered something by accident," the Black Ghost theorised. Littlefoot was still reeling from the idea that one of his best friends was now nothing more than a memory. Jason was gone and has been for nearly three centuries. It made his head spin.

"The Stones of Essence have a lot of mystical power no one is entirely certain of. But the fact remains that a threat is lying in wait if the Corruption's Curse is allowed to spread. Its vector for passing is unknown and the stones can stop it," the Black Ghost pressed. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to be more direct Littlefoot. If what you said was true and you gave your stone to your friend, that means that you should have his stone, the Warrior's Heart Ruby correct? May I use it to treat the Curse please?"

Littlefoot's heart sank when he heard the question. He dipped his head sheepishly unable to look into the void where he figured the Black Ghost's eyes would be.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I… I don't have it any more. I… I lost it…" he said shamefully.

"Lost it?" the Black Ghost repeated breathlessly. Littlefoot explained what happened to him when he was kidnapped by the three humans. It didn't free him of the guilty fact that he'd robbed the poor human of his chance to cure the Corruption's Curse plaguing his body.

"Damn it! Then that means that they've…" the Black Ghost started but he was interrupted by a shuffling just beyond where Littlefoot was standing. A gasp suddenly grabbed the longneck's attention and he spun around to find Kairyn standing there, his mouth agape in shock.

"Littlefoot! What the hell is he doing here!" he yelled enraged throwing an accusing finger up at the Black Ghost.

"Wait! Kairyn, hold on!" Littlefoot pleaded but at that same moment, he heard the Black Ghost groan. Littlefoot glanced over his shoulder and saw the black-clad man doubled over in pain. Littlefoot's brain flashed with a panicked flurry of thoughts. Kairyn looked ready to launch an attack but he didn't know about the Black Ghost's condition. He didn't have the time to explain. On the other hand, the Black Ghost was starting to fit and convulse again meaning he could go off into a frenzy at any moment.

"Get out of the way Littlefoot!" Kairyn barked.

"Littlefoot, please. You have to help me. You know I mean you no harm," the Black Ghost wheezed.

"Don't listen to him! He's lying! He's been lying since the day we met him!" Kairyn fired back.

Littlefoot desperately flicked between the two humans. The volley of voices began to make his head hurt. He had to do something.

"Black Ghost! Please go! Maybe I can help you find a stone," Littlefoot then said as he stood between them. Kairyn's face pursed up with confusion but the Black Ghost simply looked up at the longneck and gazed into his restless eyes. There was a spark of comprehension between them and the Black Ghost nodded.

"Thank you… I'll be in touch," he said finally. With that, the Black Ghost managed to muster enough strength to stand and with a leap, dashed off into the shrubbery and out of sight.

Kairyn dodged around Littlefoot and was about to give chase but quickly retracted the idea. There was no way he could catch him and he knew it would be pointless to try. Littlefoot gave a quiet gasp as Kairyn then turned to him, his face flushed with anger.

"You mind telling me what the hell he was doing here! How long's he been here?" he shot at the poor dinosaur like an irate father blasting a child for seeing a forbidden, delinquent love interest behind his back.

"He needs our help Kairyn, he's in trouble," Littlefoot argued.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure he have you a great sob story to make his lies more believable!" Kairyn muttered sarcastically. Littlefoot felt a hot surge run through him but he kept his cool as he recounted what they had spoken about during the dawning hours of that morning.

There was a lot of verbal volleying between the pair of them where Littlefoot was trying valiantly to break through Kairyn's cynicism and succeeded to varying degrees. Their commotion ended up waking Littlefoot's grandparents which then forced them to convince the concerned elders that everything was fine. By the end of it all, Littlefoot felt he could have happily taken a nap despite his looming fear of nightmares returning. They decided to move on from Littlefoot's home and began wandering out towards the open fields.

"So, he's got this curse thing and he's looking for a cure? And he thinks that these magic stones can heal him," Kairyn said, his fingers pressed against his smarting forehead. Littlefoot nodded in verification.

"Yeah. He said that he needs one of them but I told him that I didn't have my one because I swapped it with Jason and I took his red stone," he added. "He asked me if I could use Jason's Warrior's Heart Ruby but I told him I'd lost it when I was kidnapped."

"Right… wait, hang on a sec! How did he know that the Warrior's Heart Ruby belonged to Jason?" Kairyn then said. Littlefoot opened his mouth to answer but the damning realisation struck him so hard that not a word came out. He froze in his tracks.

"I… I don't know! I told him I had the stone but I didn't say which one," the longneck breathed in astonishment. "How could he know that?"

"And all that stuff about your friends being lost three hundred years ago? It just doesn't add up. The Black Ghost exists in my time and has been terrorising England for months. Stories of some mysterious intruder are always in the national news. How could he know about something that supposedly happened so long ago. He seems remarkably well informed on all of this. Sickness or not, I think there's more to this than that trench coated madman's letting on. He's not telling us something," Kairyn pondered. As much as Littlefoot didn't want to think of it, he couldn't help but agree with Kairyn. The Black Ghost did seem to have an extensive knowledge on the Stones of Essence; it was accurate too. He didn't know whether that should make him more trustworthy or not. Yet, he'd, not too long ago, openly agreed to help him.

There was nothing else for it. Both Littlefoot and Kairyn agreed that the only way they were going to get answers was to attempt to interrogate the Black Ghost again but they had to be prepared. They had to figure out the right questions to ask and put him in a spot that he couldn't wriggle out of. Be that by magic or running away on foot. With a head fit to bursting point with everything that had happened over the course of the night and early hours, Littlefoot felt swamped. He couldn't tackle this on his own and decided he needed his friends to bounce ideas off. A problem shared was a problem halved after all. Kairyn followed Littlefoot out of the open fields where a number of early risers had started to graze and down a sloped path between the trunks of some impressively tall trees. Kairyn's ears pricked up to the sound of gently running water and soon the pair found themselves following a sparklingly clear stream. Kairyn gawked at how perfect and unpolluted the water looked. It was like looking through a sheet of rippling glass. He could see every rock, plant and contour of the riverbed and even saw small fish gliding up and down effortlessly, hardly disturbing the surface. Walking along its bank, against the flow of the current, Kairyn then saw a family of bipedal dinosaurs sat near the water's edge. He could hear laughing and giggling as if children immersed in a game of sorts. Following Littlefoot's lead, they approached the giant saurolophus whom the young longneck greeted warmly.

"Morning Littlefoot. You're looking for Spike and Ducky? They're just over there playing with that nice human girl," the mother saurolophus said nodding just beyond where she was laying. A number of her young just in front of her were rolling and diving on each other. Littlefoot thanked her and Kairyn offered a nervous nod before following him around to where she had signalled.

As they had been told, Ducky and Spike were by the riverbank along with their swimmer brothers and sisters. Some were splashing about in the water giggling hysterically whilst Spike sat under the shade of the trees with Melissa who was just crowning Ducky with a tiara of brightly coloured flowers. Kairyn stopped and stared for a moment. In the warming morning light, he couldn't help but notice that Melissa seemed to glow with radiance. Every strand of her long, blonde hair reflected the sun's beams. An affable smile was stretched across her face as Ducky thanked her for the flowery headpiece. It took a second for Kairyn to realise that Littlefoot had been talking to him.

"You okay Kairyn?" he asked sliding his head into Kairyn's view.

"Huh? Oh yeah, yeah. Sorry, I was daydreaming for a sec there," Kairyn said hurryingly.

"Oh hi Littlefoot! Hi Kairyn!" a small voice suddenly piped. It was Ducky closely followed by Spike and Melissa.

"Uh, hey Melissa. Umm… how was your night here?" Kairyn said dumbly.

"Oh it was great. Ducky helped me make a little bed out of leaves. I've never slept outside before so it was nice for a first time," Melissa said with a coy smile.

"Melissa has been showing us how to make pretty decorations with flowers. We made-ed lots of different things but Spike eat-ed some of them," Ducky said eyeing her brother accusingly. Spike whimpered guiltily but Melissa patted him on the head.

"It's okay. We can always make some more later," Melissa reassured him which brought a smile to the stegosaurus's face as he looked up at her amorously. "How was your night with Littlefoot?"

"Err… good! Well… kinda…" Kairyn babbled itching the back of his head. He and Littlefoot glanced awkwardly at each other for a moment which the others caught onto immediately.

"Come on, we'll explain as we go," Littlefoot said nodding towards the field.

It took them both a while to get through the story of what had occurred last night and the events of the morning. In that time, they had to restart parts when Petrie and Cera came to join them a little later. Between munching on breakfast and relocating after the Grazing Grounds started becoming increasingly crowded, the gang settled under the shade of the trees away from rest of the world to consolidate their ideas.

"Ugh… this stuff with those stupid stones again?" Cera huffed. "After everything we did and all the trouble we got into last time with those stupid pebbles, that weird human in black thinks that there's more to happen?"

"Well, he didn't say that exactly Cera," Littlefoot developed. "He said he thinks that there is a connection between this Corruption's Curse thing and the Stones of Essence."

"And he failed to mention just what that is huh?" Cera snorted. Littlefoot shied slightly. Another loose end that he couldn't qualify to add to the hundreds of others.

"And what about your dreams Littlefoot? Your sleep stories? What did the Black Ghost say about those?" Melissa asked. She was sitting on her heels, playing with the grass that was brushing her leg. Kairyn was watching her the whole time.

"He didn't say much, but he did say that I should be paying attention to them," Littlefoot said airily. "Honestly, I'm a little worried about that given what I saw."

"You said that the Black Ghost is sick. What does he need to do to get better?" Ducky asked sounding genuinely concerned for his well-being.

"He said that he needed a Stone of Essence, but I don't have mine or Jason's anymore. I felt so bad that I couldn't help him," Littlefoot winced, his guilt was still gnawing away at him. "I think that's why he came with us; in search of the stones."

"But how he know you have stone? And how he know red stone belong to Jason?" Petrie puzzled.

"I don't know Petrie but, he said he knew me. I can't see how because I don't recognise him," Littlefoot shrugged again.

"I still don't trust him. What if this is all a feint? What if he's trying to get the stones to further spread this curse thing?" Kairyn said strongly. All eyes turned to him.

"Think about it. He said the stones and this curse were connected somehow and he doesn't know how it spreads. What if the stones ARE the key required to spreading this corruption stuff?" The group fell silent. It was a possibility after all.

"But why would the Black Ghost want to do that? What would it accomplish?" Melissa then asked. Yet another question without a definite answer (despite another cynical remark from Kairyn that everyone dismissed).

"Well, whatever the reason, he can't get his grimy mitts on a Stone of Essence if he doesn't know where one is," Kairyn said. This suddenly made Littlefoot's mind click.

"Wait, Kairyn! You have one! You have a stone!" he said excitedly. A chorus of gasps went up around him which made Kairyn flinch.

"What?" he stammered.

"Your yellow stone! It's a Stone of Essence isn't it?" Littlefoot said stepping towards him.

"I… I don't know. I didn't know what a Stone of Essence was until I met you guys," Kairyn babbled defensively. He could suddenly feel the heat of everyone's gaze on him. "You didn't tell him I had it did you?"

"No I didn't. But you can use it to help the Black Ghost and then..." Littlefoot started but Kairyn immediately cut him off.

"Ohhhh no! Not a chance! There's no way I'm giving my stone to that maniac whether it's magic or not! Forget it! Anyway, I promised my dad I'd look after it and discover what it's for," he protested backing away from the longneck as he advanced.

"But maybe he can help you find out more about it," Littlefoot pressed but Kairyn wasn't having any of it.

"But why not? Do you not want to help the Black Ghost get better?" Ducky cooed.

"No! Well, no… it's not that. I just don't trust him enough to just hand it over to him on a silver plate. How do we know what he's planning to do? He hasn't given us anything but a load of loose threads that don't tie up. If he wants it then I'm gonna want some solid and straight answers outta him first!" Then, like a tidal wave had flushed over the seven of them, they all jerked up straight. Everyone saw the same sparkle of ingenuity twinkle in the other's eye. Just like that, they had the beginnings of a plan.

It was as simple as plans go but an effective one all the same. The typical stand-off _'you've got something I want, I've got something you want'_ situation just without the melodrama. The group agreed that since Littlefoot was the one who had conversed with the Black Ghost the most, and didn't have an overbearing grudge against the man, that he'd be the one to talk to him whilst the others lay in hiding to eavesdrop. They strategized the exact questions that they wanted answering and insisted that until there was clear cut response, the Black Ghost wouldn't even get to sniff at the yellow triangular stone that Kairyn had. Littlefoot couldn't help but feel his moral fibres tie themselves in awkward knots. It felt wrong to exploit the Black Ghost's predicament as a pressure point to getting what they wanted, but he couldn't argue the vague answers they'd gotten from him so far were not as helpful as they'd liked. As he had already stressed that time was of the essence, they were having to up their game (Kairyn's words). Their plan was set but the biggest issue still lay in their way. How do you track a man that moves like a shadow in the night and can use magic at a moment's whim? The answer was simple. Let the mysterious man freak the hell out of you when you by dropping in on you when you are alone.

Poor Littlefoot thought his heart was going to burst when the Black Ghost suddenly dropped out of the sky and landed inches from his face while he was off finding his grandparents later that morning. Kairyn had agreed to stay away from the initial meeting to resist the urge to smack the Black Ghost in the face for his earlier intrusion.

"Oh! Black Ghost! You… you scared me!" Littlefoot puffed, he could still feel his panicky heartbeat lurching violently in his chest.

"My apologies my friend. I figured this was the best time to catch you alone. I didn't want to cause any more of a disturbance than I did back at your nest this morning," the cloaked man said softly.

"Err… that's okay," Littlefoot stuttered. He wasn't sure if he was just nervous from the fright or if he was more jittery about the plan they had in store.

"I know that I have been rather cryptic up until now but I feel you are the only one of your little friendship group that will grant me the time of day to actually speak."

"That's alright. Umm… did you want to talk now?" Littlefoot asked trying to keep the quivering out of his voice as best he could.

"Hmm… this is a bit open. Wouldn't want to startle anyone," the Black Ghost said scanning the gaps between the trees and bushes. There were perfect lines of sight for them to be seen where they currently were. "Is there somewhere where we could go that's a little more… covered?"

Littlefoot's brain fired at a light speed; too fast to process anything. Where could he suggest they meet where the others could spy on them without being discovered themselves? Also, he didn't want any of the adult dinosaurs to interrupt them by accident. The Black Ghost would take off in a shot and their opportunity would be lost.

"Err… I know. My friends have a little hideout not too far from here. It's in a thick part of the woods where the grown-ups can't get to," Littlefoot then said.

"What about your friends? Won't they be there?" the Black Ghost asked. Littlefoot felt a flush of panic.

"Err… they're all busy this morning. I went to see them already but they're doing things for their mums and dads," he lied.

"What about Kairyn and that other girl?"

"They're umm… off exploring the Valley with Ducky and Spike. Kairyn went to see Melissa this morning after you came to us. She uhh… spent the night there. He… he wanted to see how she was." Littlefoot was finding it difficult to come up with enough excuses to throw off suspicion. He was sure the Black Ghost could see right through him as he stumbled over his words and slurred every sentence somewhere.

"Alright. I'll follow you there. I'll keep out of sight as far as possible," the Black Ghost said. Littlefoot cringed again. How was he going to let his friends know where the meeting was going to take place?

"Uhh… sure! But I need to… talk to my grandparents first," he suddenly piped. "I need to meet with them down by the river by the Thundering Falls. You know, just to check in with them." That wasn't so much of a lie but it still wasn't strictly true.

"Alright, I'll wait here. Pass back this way once you're done and I'll tail you to your hideout," the Black Ghost said authoritively. Littlefoot nodded hurryingly and quickly turned about to head off to find his grandparents. After taking a few hurried steps, he glanced back over his shoulder but the Black Ghost had already disappeared.

Littlefoot soon found his grandparents exactly where he had stated and quickly checked in with them. He also asked them to relay a message to his friends of his whereabouts should they come looking for him. The kindly elders smiled and nodded before letting their grandson wander off into the Great Valley again urging him to stay out of trouble. Double backing to the sheltered path where the Black Ghost had previously pounced on him, Littlefoot scanned the bushes and tree canopies for any sign of the cloaked man. Fortunately for him, the Black Ghost didn't make so much of a dramatic entrance and calmly strolled out from behind an ivy tangled tree trunk.

"All set?" the Black Ghost inquired.

"Yeah, let's go," Littlefoot said as he led the way to his hideout. "This way."

It was the oddest feeling being tailed by the Black Ghost when you knew that he was there somewhere but you couldn't actually see him. How he managed to hide in plain sight was nothing short of a mystery as Littlefoot strolled awkwardly through the trees and out into the fields towards the entrance of his friends' little hideaway. His gait was very rigid and uncomfortably upright like someone was jabbing the longneck in the back of his head and refused to remove it. From an onlooker's point of view, you would have thought that Littlefoot was walking across the densely populated grazing fields alone but he knew otherwise. Upon reaching the shelter of the trees at the far end of the fields, Littlefoot stopped and couldn't resist searching around for his invisible tracer.

"Umm… Black Ghost? We're here now… are you ther… WHOA!" Littlefoot recoiled as the Black Ghost dropped down from the sky and landed a few feet from him.

"So this is your little hideout? Cosy," the Black Ghost said eyeing the pathway into the tightly packed trees. He turned back to Littlefoot who still looked spooked. "Shall we?"

Littlefoot nodded, his throat still locked shut by the rush of breath that shot down his larynx as he gasped. Finally remembering to breathe again, Littlefoot led the way into the little wood followed by the Black Ghost who promptly promised not to drop in on him again unless it was completely necessary.

Despite the path quickly becoming swallowed by the leafy bushes that surrounded the tree trunks, Littlefoot had committed the layout of the little wooded area to memory and guided the Black Ghost to its heart without a misplaced step. The shelter of the trees opened up to a tiny patch of grass that had a few grey boulders and broken rocks strewn around the place. The glorious sunlight beamed into the centre of hideout like a skylight and illuminated it with a blissful radiance. Pollen and spores floated like puffy wisps in the glaring light as Littlefoot sat on a comfy patch of mossy grass. He watched as the Black Ghost stepped cautiously into the hideout and made a beeline for the rock carving that sat in the middle of the tiny clearing. He raised a gloved hand up to the chipped surface and eyed the seven crudely chiselled figures leading one another on the rocky tapestry.

"My friend, Jason, made that just before he left. A memory of our adventure we had together. Me, the guys, our Farwalker friend Ali and him," Littlefoot said calmly. A wash of fond memories flooded his mind of a moment.

"He must have cared deeply for you all," the Black Ghost said as he examined it even closer. Littlefoot smiled inwardly, "I guess so. He said he didn't have much of a family until he came to the Great Valley. It was… hard… for all of us when he went back." The Black Ghost then came to a stop as he approached the front (the far right) of the friendly line up. He held his gloved hand up an etching of three triangles stood on top of each other like a balanced pyramid. It floated above them all like a guiding star showing them the way.

"Heaven's Eternity Crystal…" the Black Ghost hummed lowly.

"That's right," Littlefoot said calmly. "How did you know that?"

The Black Ghost finally turned to Littlefoot. His shoulders were slumped as if he were about to deliver a crushing confession and it made Littlefoot feel uneasy.

"The Stones of Essence go back a long time in human lore. Their presence and usage known to only a select few. A power of an ancient civilisation that predates any known human colonisation," the Black Ghost said smoothly as if he were reading it out of a textbook. Littlefoot blinked dumbly which made the Black Ghost snicker slightly.

"Put simply. It is a power not created by man and the dinosaurs knew nothing of it. The stones on their own hold a great power but combined, they are greater still. Just by looking at this carving here made by your friend, you have all bore witness to both forms of the stones' powers. A once in a lifetime privilege as well as a terrible burden." Littlefoot shuffled on the spot. He was thankful that the Black Ghost was willing to spill his information on the Stones of Essence without being prompted by questions which, in all honesty, he hadn't thought up yet. The Black Ghost continued,

"When the three stones came together, and the crystal was formed, it harnessed a power that channelled the life force of all living things. This living energy was stronger in some than others, hence the reason why only a select few could use them. But… this was down to one key factor." The Black Ghost's hood angled up so Littlefoot could see deep into its blackness.

"Wh-what's that?" he asked nervously.

"The Heaven's Eternity Crystal… was incomplete," the Black Ghost replied darkly.

"Incomplete?" Littlefoot echoed.

"Yes. The three stones were used as three different channels of life force. Heart, Soul and Tears. But there is one piece missing." The Black Ghost summoned Littlefoot over to him with a beckoning finger. Littlefoot stood up and trudged over to the black-clad figure as he turned and pointed at the carving again.

"You see this space here?" he said pointing to the inverted triangular gap between the three other embossed triangles. "That is where a fourth and final stone is supposed to be placed." Littlefoot gasped as the idea of it all sank in and an idea popped into his mind.

"So… what power does this last stone have?" he asked carefully.

"It is the governing stone. The Angel's Amethyst. On its own, its powers for wielding are untold. However, what is known is that it is a Stone of Essence that channels the raw energy from the three other stones and neutralised them. This, in turn, grants anyone the capability of wielding the incredible power the Stones of Essence hold because the magical current of each of the life forces is freely distributed amongst the stones and is no longer bound by a single trait. Not heart, nor soul nor tears. In other words, any living being with brain and a pulse could use this power if they can control it. The chosen lights the legends speak of would become obsolete since there unique powers would be free for anyone to acquire."

"So… if all four of these stones were put together, anyone could use the magic power it has?" Littlefoot concluded. That thumping headache of being overloaded with information was starting to come back.

"Yes. Could you imagine if everyone knew about this power? They would stop at nothing to seek it and claim it for their own. Power struggle after power struggle would tear lives and civilisations apart. Wars and conquest would decimate and destroy every living thing on the planet. There would be nothing left."

"So? Why do you need it?" Littlefoot then asked before he could stop himself.

"I already told you. I want to be free of the Corruption's Curse. I don't need the completed crystal to be freed of it. Only one of them to be used on me to purge my body of its evil current."

"Is that really the only reason?" Littlefoot then said. He wasn't sure where the courage to ask these probing questions was coming from but he was glad it was there.

"I promise you Littlefoot. It may seem selfish but when you have suffered from this crushing grip for so long, you can't help but wish for any kind of release."

"But why come with me? How did you know I had a stone? And how did you know I had Jason's stone? I didn't tell you I had it," Littlefoot fired. The Black Ghost glanced at the longneck sideways but didn't say anything.

"Why won't you answer? Why can't you tell us anything about you other than you being cursed?"

"Littlefoot I… I can't…" the Black Ghost said sighing.

"Why not?" Littlefoot pressed. "Why won't you show your face?"

"Because… I don't want you to see…"

"Don't want me to see what? You've already shown me your hand so why won't you let anyone see what you look like?"

"They won't understand. All they'd see is a monster. I… I don't…" The Black Ghost stopped again hesitantly. Littlefoot edged closer.

"You don't what?" he asked, his tone much softer.

"I don't want you… to see what I've become…" Littlefoot took a couple of steps backwards. His mind flashed back like a portal to when the Black Ghost threatened to slice his jugular on top of the snowy mountain after the avalanche. Once he had managed to calm down, he remembered the Black Ghost saying to him that he was '_a prisoner of fate_' and that he was once '_one of them_' and that the stones could set him free. Littlefoot flicked the blurry images from his mind and refocused on the Black Ghost.

"Who… who are you?" he whispered starting to reel in his own thoughts. The Black Ghost simply looked into his wide eyes.

"So Littlefoot? You said you would help me find a stone. Are you still willing to offer that help?" the Black Ghost then said. Littlefoot wasn't sure if he was coming or going but he just couldn't ignore that gnawing feeling of pity for the shadowy man.

"First, I gotta know. Kairyn keeps saying you killed his father. Did you…?"

"No I didn't. But Kairyn needs to confront me himself if he wants to find out the truth about what really happened to his father."

"I know how you can get a stone…" Littlefoot then said slowly. The Black Ghost didn't leap at him but Littlefoot could tell he was interested. It was time to put his power play into action.

"Kairyn has a Stone of Essence. A yellow one. I think it might be the one you were talking about earlier."

"The Angel's Amethyst? Kairyn has it?" the Black Ghost sounded amazed.

"Yes. But he wants to know the truth about his father; how he died?" Littlefoot said stony-faced and tuneless.

"And if I told him, he would grant me use of his stone? Is that it?" the Black Ghost said catching on. Littlefoot nodded.

"I doubt he'd take it even if it was the truth. He's determined to believe that I was the one that did it."

"If you want the stone that badly, you'll try anyway," Littlefoot said sternly. The Black Ghost sighed and sniggered slightly.

"Your resolve is just as impressive as your courage Littlefoot. You really are one in a million." Littlefoot tried hard not to let the flattering comment get to him.

"So? Whad'dya say? Will you tell Kairyn the truth?"

"Alright. I'll tell him everything. I'm prepared to tell him but I hope, for his sake, he is prepared to listen." Littlefoot nodded as he felt the swelling pressure in his chest suddenly deflate. As noteworthy as his resolve was, it was tough trying to keep up such a strong front against someone who could strike him off in one blow if things went south.

"So, should I speak to him face to face? Or should I just speak loud and clearly into the microphone?" the Black Ghost then said. Confused at first, Littlefoot craned his neck behind him to look to where the Black Ghost was pointing. On the ground, just beneath a large umbrella-like leaf was a small clam-shelled device sitting and pointing into the little clearing. It was Kairyn's Minicom. Littlefoot felt a numbing chill snake up his spine and made his muscles lock rigid as the realisation hit him. The Black Ghost knew about the plan to draw information out of him. The jig was up.

"Tell Kairyn and your friends, once they've crawled out of the bushes, that I will see you all later to discuss our proposal," the Black Ghost said to Littlefoot who was still staring off into the foliage. There was a suddenly whoosh of air and by the time Littlefoot had turned around, the Black Ghost was gone.

"Damn it! He knew we were there!" an aggravated voice sounded from close by. Littlefoot suddenly saw a number of bushes rustle and an assortment of creatures come traipsing into the copse.

"Well that was a big waste of time! We didn't find out anything!" Cera muttered as she flung a stick caught on her nose horn back into the shrubbery. It narrowly missed Spike who, at that exact second, dipped his head to munch on one of the giant leaves.

"I wouldn't say that Cera. He actually told us quite a lot," Littlefoot said turning to her as she, Ducky, Spike, Petrie and Kairyn gathered around.

"And I got it all on tape. Well, most of it anyway," Kairyn said poking his Minicom before snapping it shut. Littlefoot then noticed that the group was one short.

"Hey, where's Melissa?" he asked.

"She went-ed back to my nest. She said she was not feeling very well, she did," Ducky reported.

"She'll be okay. She said she was gonna go take a nap. We've now gotta figure out what all that nonsense about magic stones and unlimited power for every Tom, Dick and Harry was all about," Kairyn said waving his Minicom in the air in a tight fist.

"What 'bout helping Black Ghost with his sickness? You gonna help him Kairyn?" Petrie asked.

"Dunno yet. Have to see what he says first," the boy snorted.

Littlefoot was about to say something when there was a suddenly bright flash that illuminated the sky. Everyone looked up at the gaping hole in the trees and saw the cloudless sky flash and flicker a bizarre array of unnatural colours followed by a loud series of booms and crashes. It only lasted for a minute or two but as it died out, the gang then all looked at each other.

"What the hell was that?" Kairyn asked. Petrie immediately took to the air and hovered over the treetops.

"There look like somethin' happening over by the Great Wall," the little flyer reported as he swooped back down to ground level again. Suddenly, everyone but Kairyn froze.

"Uhh… someone wanna explain to me what the Great Wall is? What's with the faces?" Kairyn asked flatly.

"The Shiny Ring! Do you think…?" Ducky trailed off. Kairyn still looked lost.

"Let's go take a look!" Littlefoot said immediately bounding for the exit. The gang following him one after the other.


	32. Dangerous Discoveries

Chapter 31: Dangerous Discoveries

The series of strobing flashes illuminating the rocky peaks that encircled the Great Valley's outer walls had already caught the attention of a number of the grazing residents and visitors that were crowding in the fields. They were all completely absorbed and memorised by the flickers of bizarre light that they didn't bat an eye when the gang and Kairyn tore across the open grassland and into the trees that led up to the mountain paths. Their feet were a blur as they pounded the dirt tracks between the thick trunks, cleaved bushes as they leapt through them and vaulted looping roots like athletes tackling natural hurdles.

"Does someone wanna explain what the fuss is all about? Where are we going?" Kairyn puffed trying to keep up as the last hop over an exposed root almost wiped him out.

"To the Shiny Ring at the top of the Great Wall! Yep, yep, yep!" Ducky said from atop Spike who was galloping with lengthy strides.

"Great…okay? That doesn't really answer my question."

"It's a huge shiny circle where the first lot of humans came through to get to the Great Valley," Littlefoot hollered backwards refusing to allow his eye to stray from the path that had now started to slope upwards. As the road curved up towards the mountains and the terrain became more rocky, the group slowed to a brisk walk.

"What, you mean, like a portal? Between the dinosaur world and the human one?" Kairyn asked suddenly sounding very excited.

"I guess so. The humans made it whilst they were here. It was how Jason, Jill and Mr Stone left the Great Valley when they returned home," Littlefoot said flatly. His voice betrayed his true feelings as he was literally buzzing inside.

"And you're telling me this now? Why the hell didn't you say anything before? We can use it to get back to our time and…" Kairyn erupted gleefully but Petrie cut across him.

"We no know how it work. We try before in past but we no make it work again," he said defeated.

"We tried using the red stone Jason gave Littlefoot but nothing happened," Cera added pre-empting Kairyn's next question by reading the look on his face.

"So, how did you get it to work the first time?" he asked quickly. Suddenly, this mysterious Shiny Ring had become a central focus for him and he wasn't prepared to accept the first dismissive statement that came his way.

"If I can remember right, I think Littlefoot used his blue magic stone to get the big glowing circle to appear. Yep, yep, yep," Ducky chimed in. Littlefoot glanced back and found Kairyn's eyes already locked onto him.

"Maybe because Littlefoot wasn't using his own stone is the reason why it didn't work," he theorised ecstatically. This was only fuelled further by him thinking about the yellow stone his father had given to him. No one could argue with him and the more the group thought about the idea, the more their minds wandered on what they could accomplish if they could once again open up the gateway that bridged the two worlds. A rush of hopeful possibilities flooded over them as they quickened their pace to reach the Great Wall. All the while, the blasts of light were continuing their spectacular show from over the shoulder of the mountains.

It didn't take the group long to find themselves climbing to the top of a rocky overhang that peered down on the Great Wall. Kairyn took in the topography as he saw a dusty trail lining the floor of a high walled gulley. Going downhill, to the left, was a passage leading back into the Great Valley whilst to his right, the path levelled off and the walls shrunk away slightly to reveal an open space of swirling dust and baked earth. The Great Wall, as the gang had described to him earlier, was a huge pile of giant boulders and rock debris that looked like they had tumbled in on themselves and sealed off the path. This barred the entrance to the Great Valley as Kairyn looked out past the impressive dam and could see the untamed wilderness of the Mysterious Beyond stretching infinitely towards the horizon. Kairyn had to chuckle as the gang explained the logic of the name '_Mysterious Beyond_' as all of the land outside of the protected lands of the Great Valley, but he was quickly muted when his eye caught the glint of something tucked away in the far corner of the exposed and barren path.

"I'm guessing it's that giant, circular structure over there?" Kairyn asked pointing.

"Yeah, that's it. The humans that used it did have a special name for it but I can't remember what it was," Littlefoot said. That electric current of excitement was still shooting through him.

"So what are we looking for exactly?" Cera then asked. Everyone then scanned the ground for any sights of movement.

"There nobody here," Petrie said.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that no one has _been_ here previously," Kairyn said almost slyly. His gaze was locked on the strange arching machine sat idle at the far end.

"Let's get down there," he said as he began climbing down the steep sided wall towards the path. The others quickly followed him.

A cloud of red dust misted around Kairyn's feet as he touched down on the gully path. The area was a lot more open than he had first realised as he took in how the edges of the path bowed outward slight before narrowing again as it continued off towards the Great Wall. A series of gravelly slides rippled behind him as Littlefoot, Cera and Spike skidded into place.

"Looks deserted. Doesn't anyone ever come up here?" Kairyn asked.

"Not really," Littlefoot replied dusting himself off. "There's very little green food up here and it's just a way out into the Mysterious Beyond."

"So… officially… we're not really supposed to be up here?" Kairyn slurred.

"Nope, but we come up here all the time without our parents knowing. What they don't know can't get us into trouble," Cera piped in sounding proud of their mischievousness.

"But if everyone else in the Great Valley saw what was happening up here, they may be coming up here too. Then we WILL be in trouble. Yep, yep, yep!" Ducky said anxiously.

"If that's the case, we'd better make this quick," Kairyn said. With his brow furrowed determinedly, he kicked off into a short sprint toward the machine, the gang close behind.

Vaulting boulders and cracks in the earth, Kairyn slowed to a stop some distance away as he took in just how magnificent the machine before him was. He gaped at the large, arching silver ring that was easily two, if not three, storeys high and stood proud and tall over a dusty metal ramp leading up to it like a king on a throne sat high above a lowly peasant. Just off to the right hand side was a console of some sort that Kairyn guessed was some measure of control interface but its screen was blank and lifeless like its circuitry had not tasted a lick of electricity for years.

"Wow! I've never seen anything like this before in my life!" Kairyn breathed as the dinosaurs rumbled up and stood beside him in a huddle.

"Do you know how to work this thing?" Littlefoot asked sounding hopeful.

"Not a clue. I've seen some of Dad's projects in his lab before but never anything like this."

"So what we do now?" Petrie asked feeling slightly unnerved standing under the massive machine.

"Well, those flashing lights must have come from somewhere around here. Maybe we can find out what it was," Littlefoot suggested. "Let's have a look around." So the gang began to fan out and searched the area for anything out of the ordinary. Kairyn, meanwhile, was so enthralled with the machine that he decided to focus all his attention on it.

After a few minutes, the quintet of dinosaurs regrouped.

"Find anything?" Littlefoot asked but everyone shook their heads.

"There's nothing here. This has been nothing but a big waste of time!" Cera snorted stamping in the dirt and kicking up dust clouds. Littlefoot felt that little spark of anticipation suddenly fizzle out and he sighed in defeat. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Kairyn still circling the massive machine. Then he suddenly disappeared as he ducked behind the console by the ramp.

"At least someone's enjoying himself," Cera snubbed. Then, he shouted out to them.

"Hey guys! Com'mere! Come see this!" Kairyn hollered. The gang all looked at each other before jogging over to him.

"What is it?" Littlefoot asked pulling up alongside Kairyn. Kairyn rolled a sleeve over his hand and rubbed it against the back of the console. After slapping the dust off his clothes, Kairyn ran his finger along some words stylishly etched into the metal to look like futuristic block lettering.

"Does the words '_Chronos Doorway_' mean anything to you guys?" Kairyn asked.

"I remember the humans calling those weird blue swirling circles '_doorways_'. Was that the name the humans gave to this thing?" Cera asked inquisitively.

"I guess so. It's a fitting name if it really does what you say it does," Kairyn said looking back at her. "The word 'chronos' is usually linked to something to do with time. And if they were calling these things 'doorways' then I guess it makes sense."

Kairyn then ducked a little lower and rubbed some more dirt clear of the metal to reveal a symbol.

"Any idea what that is? It kinda looked like a bird with really wavy wings; like it's on fire or something," he asked the crowd. Everyone leaned in closer for a better look.

"Me 'member that!" Petrie cawed making everyone else jump. "When we go to human world and we inside that long tall human cave. Me saw that all over human cave where we find that bad human and the Red Phoenix."

"You're right Petrie!" Littlefoot exclaimed, "Jill and Mr Stone had that on their second skins too."

"Come to think of it, all that stuff the humans had, even where they were living in the Great Valley had that thing on them," Cera chimed in. Spike and Ducky nodded and hummed as the memories came flickering back in a blinding montage.

"Humans were living in the Great Valley?" Kairyn gawked.

"Well, kinda. They were hiding out in the Forest of Fear on the far edge of the Valley," Littlefoot explained. "The humans' home is still there but it's all broken now."

Kairyn hummed thoughtfully, "Maybe we should check that place out. It might give us a few more clues as to what this is all about." He turned back to the etching of a bird in flames.

"Sounds like this symbol is a company's emblem. Red Phoenix you said right?" Kairyn asked again and they all nodded. Kairyn took out his Minicom and quickly snapped a few pictures of the symbol and typed in a few notes on its holographic keyboard.

"I've gotta say, it's not a company I'm familiar with. Maybe we can find out a bit more about it later," Kairyn said. Suddenly, the little machine made a blip which made Kairyn blink in shock.

"Huh, that's weird. Apparently there's a data access point available here," he said poking at the new icon that just popped up on his screen.

"A what?" Cera babbled.

"My Minicom has managed to make a remote link to the databanks in this console. Looks like there is some information stored in the computer I can access," he said airily as he started a download transfer. "I thought this console was burned out coz it wasn't working when I tried it earlier but looks like the databanks can be tapped into wirelessly. Man, this must be some really old bit of tech if I can hack into its files that easily. Its firewalls and security protocols must be massively out of date." Littlefoot looked blanked at the boy as the technobabble flew right over his head but he immediately tweaked on the fact that Kairyn had labelled the machine as 'old'. His mind flooded back to what the Black Ghost had said about three hundred years passing since Jason's departure from the Great Valley. This acted as a small, yet disturbing, piece of evidence that what the cloaked man had said could be true.

Kairyn stood upright as the download finished and everyone crushed in to see what was on the tiny display.

"What does all that mean?" Ducky asked standing on tiptoes while balance on the ridge of Spike's spine.

"I don't know right now but I'll have a look at it later," Kairyn said snapping the Minicom shut. "There's one last thing I wanna try."

As Kairyn placed his Minicom back into his pocket, he withdrew the yellow triangular stone. Littlefoot felt a hard lump lock tight in his throat as they all followed Kairyn around to the front of the console.

"So, how did you do it Littlefoot? You just… held onto your stone and… touched the console right?" Kairyn asked flatly. Littlefoot simply nodded since he couldn't muster the will to speak. His nerves were frayed and jittery as he watched Kairyn attempt to reactivate the Chronos Doorway. All eyes were on Kairyn as he apprehensively held out his right hand, the stone held in his left, and hovered over the console screen. Kairyn took a deep breath and held it as he dropped his hand, quite forcefully, onto the console. There was an unbearably long pause before anyone dared to move again.

"Did it work?" Kairyn asked flicking between the giant ring and his spectators.

"I… uhh… I don't think so," Littlefoot stammered, the tips of his toes and tail were tingling. Kairyn tried again but still nothing happened. After a few other suggestions from the others, he soon gave up.

"There must be more to this. We're missing something," Kairyn said shoving the stone back into his pocket. "Still, we have something to go on. Why don't we head back?" The group all agreed and headed off down the sloping path back towards the Great Valley.

To make sure they weren't seen coming back down from the Great Wall, the group retraced their steps as best they could so the cover of the trees as they approached the Valley masked their re-entry. It was just as well since they were sure they could hear the thundering footsteps of some adult dinosaurs trundling up the mountain path heading towards where they had been not too long ago. As Ducky poked her head out of a bush to check the coast was clear, she waved at the others ducked behind the surrounding foliage and they crept out of hiding.

"So what we do now?" Petrie asked as they made their way back across the fields pretending not to notice the entourage of dinosaurs huddled at the base of the mountain path up to the Great Wall. Only some mustering the nerve to actually go and investigate.

"I'd like to look over this information I managed to download but I'd love to see his 'human home' you guys mentioned earlier," Kairyn said deliberately slowing his gait so the group would slow to a stop. Reading the nervous expressions on each of the gang's faces he knew there was more to this than simply taking a leisurely stroll to wherever it was they had mentioned previously.

"Err… I am not sure I want to go. Oh no, no, no," Ducky said slowly.

"Me neither. Me no like Forest of Fear before humans come and me still no like it now," Petrie chimed in shuddering. "Too spooky…"

"The Forest of Fear? Sounds like a zone for a theme park. What's the problem with this place?" Kairyn asked. Irrespective of their responses, he was primed to head there all the same.

"A lot of bad stuff has been said about the Forest of Fear," Littlefoot started.

"Yeah, and it was only made worse when everyone in the Valley found out that humans were living in there. Especially after all the monsters that came out of it," Cera added grimly.

"Monsters? Now this really is starting to sound like a theme park. What kinda place are we talking about here? A bloody haunted house?" Kairyn scoffed dismissively.

"I dunno what you mean by that but bad stuff did happen in that place. And after everything that had happened, it gave us all the more reason not to go back there," Cera hummed seriously.

"Well, creepy mansion or not, I wanna check it out. It might give us more of a clue to what's really going on here. If you guys don't wanna come with me, then just point me in the right direction and I'll go on my own," Kairyn said flatly. The gang all shuffled uncomfortably but finally Littlefoot stepped forward and agreed to show Kairyn the way to the old Red Phoenix base in the Forest of Fear. Determined not to show a hint of cowardice, Cera was coaxed, somewhat reluctantly, into joining them whilst Petrie, Ducky and Spike opted out to go and pay Melissa a visit to see if she was feeling any better. With the agreement to meet up again later, the group went their separate ways.

It didn't take Littlefoot, Cera and Kairyn long until they came to the border of the creepily dense thicket of narrow trunked trees that marked the edge of the Forest of Fear. Despite the broad daylight, Kairyn ducked and weaved his head this way and that to try and make out some sort of depth to the odd little patch of woodland but found that the sun's rays were quickly devoured by the tightly packed trees. It was almost pitch black in there.

"This is it?" Kairyn asked looking back at Littlefoot and Cera who were both still a couple of paces behind him, minding their distance. Littlefoot nodded as he felt his skin prickle and Cera flicked a snaking chill out the end of her tail as it raked her spine.

"How far in is it?" Kairyn then asked, his determination unwavering.

"Almost to the middle," Littlefoot replied.

"Okay then, let's go," Kairyn said and he stepped into the dank woods without hesitation. Littlefoot and Cera both glanced at each other before traipsing in after him.

The trek through the eerie trees was a slow and cautious one. Littlefoot couldn't help but recall the last time he was here when he stalked the three humans who later turned out to be his kidnappers. The unsettling thought of something lumbering out of the darkness to try and snatch him up played on his mind and made his senses sharp for any unaccounted sounds and movements that were not either his or his companions'. Kairyn helped calm their frayed nerves by flipping open his Minicom and allowing the holographic light sphere to illuminate and pierce the smothering darkness of the woods. Working somewhat at random, they eventually found a patch of open space that was distinctly lighter than the rest of the forest due to some gaping holes in the tightly woven canopy overhead. Kairyn immediately quickened his pace as he leapt over a fallen log and examined the rubble of what appeared to be a concrete building surrounded by a metallic, diamond trestle fence. Kairyn gaped with wide eyes as he took in the scene. Nature had taken bold leaps to reclaim this spot of land from the cold grey stone of the building and its intrusive barrier. Parts of the single storey building had collapsed with climbing plants and moss slithered up the crumbled walls and into any crevices it could find. Vines and dense plants had wrestled with the surrounding fence, looping through the wide diamond holes and tugging it down to the ground where it lay twisted in bizarre shapes and awkward angles.

Entranced by the view before him, Kairyn quickly hopped over an arced part of fence and edged closer to the building. Littlefoot and Cera, who weren't as thrilled to be snooping around the deserted complex, took it in turns to awkwardly clamber over the bowed fence and follow him.

"So… what did you say this place was exactly?" Kairyn asked as he heard footsteps rustling the leaf litter behind him. All the while, he couldn't take his eyes of the building.

"This is where the humans lived when they came to the Valley. There were strange things in there; things I've never seen before," Littlefoot said slowly. A brief wash of memories flashed before his eyes as he remembered his visits, both intentional and unintentional, of the complex. Much of it was still a mystery to him now than it was back when it was in functional use.

"And you say monsters came from this place?" Kairyn said only half listening.

"Yeah. Humans that were already dead and brought back to life somehow. It was really creepy but we fought them off," Cera said trying to mask her blatant nervousness.

"So, when you mentioned stuff about zombies the other day, you actually weren't kidding?" Kairyn asked finally turning to look at the pair of them as they both shook their heads gravely.

"But that was years ago right, so there's no chance of that happening again with the occupants of this place now gone," Kairyn said.

"I sure hope not," Littlefoot slurred timidly.

"Okay then. How about we try finding a way into this place huh?" Kairyn then suggested. Before either Littlefoot or Cera could utter an objection, Kairyn was already sidling around the building trying to look for a way in.

Upon inspection, the trio quickly found that entrance to the dilapidated building was practically impossible. The main entrance had caved in, any of the windows that would have been accessible were blocked in either by rubble or thick looping tree roots and a number of walls had toppled inwards with no space to squeeze in. After a while, they gave up which permitted Cera to rant on about how it was a waste of time coming here. Kairyn, hands pressed up against the wall, grumbled in frustration. The idea that a human building was sitting in a time period millions of years before its time and there being no way inside was almost mocking. As Cera commanded that they all return back to the Great Valley, Kairyn pushed himself away from the building and turned to follow the triceratops out of the little clearing, kicking up the dead leaves on the ground in a huff. The sun was still beaming through the holes in the trees above and as Kairyn took a few steps forward, he noticed something odd. Looking down at a sunny patch on the ground, through the spores and dust that caught the sunlight as he kicked up the leaf litter, he saw a rectangular, gridded shadow on the ground. Tracing the beam of light back, Kairyn let out an excited gasp. The light was passing through the building and out through a barred window. Edging closer to the building, he saw that there was a large hole punched through the ceiling of room just beyond the wall in front of him.

Kairyn quickly hollered over to Cera and Littlefoot who were just about to jump the fence to head back out. With a renewed sense of enthusiasm, the group began scanning their surroundings to try a find a way up onto the roof of the complex. They soon spied a tree that sported a thick branch that hovered close enough to the roof. Kairyn was quick to nominate himself to scale the tree and enter the building.

"But how will you get out of there once you're inside?" Littlefoot then asked. He was starting to worry about Kairyn entering the complex by himself since neither he or Cera would be able to climb up and follow him in.

"I'll be fine Littlefoot. I'm sure there's something in there I can use," Kairyn said smiling as he mapped his path up the tree.

"And if there isn't?" Littlefoot pressed.

"Then I'll improvise."

"That place doesn't look too stable. What if it falls in on you?"

"Guess I'll have to make sure I can outrun it then. Listen, Littlefoot, I'll be fine. I'm just going in for a quick look around then I'll be out. I'm not gonna be bashing the walls. I really want to see what's in there. It might help us figure some things out. I promise. I'll be in and out, just like that."

Littlefoot released a breathy sigh. Kairyn's words offered little comfort but clearly he was not going to deter the boy from going in. Finally, Littlefoot nodded as he stood side on to the tree and Cera awkwardly climbed onto his back. With a hopping step, Kairyn leapt up and caught the branch. Looping his legs around the limb, Kairyn crawled upside down, hand over hand, until he got close enough to the end. Littlefoot and Cera cricked their necks upwards to watch Kairyn traverse the tree branch and then swing himself to land on the roof of the building.

"Okay, I'm heading inside," Kairyn said leaning over the side to look down at ground level.

"Be careful Kairyn," Littlefoot winced.

"On my honour," Kairyn said smiling and saluting. With that, Kairyn's head disappeared and all they could hear that followed was Kairyn dropping down into the abandoned complex with a loud thud.

Kairyn groaned and massaged the base of his spine as he slowly stood up. Despite the cracks, the ground was still solid concrete and did nothing to lessen the impact of landing on it from a storey up.

"Kairyn? Are you alright?" Littlefoot's voice sounded from the grilled window behind him.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Bit of a rough landing," he replied.

"What's it look like in there?" Cera's disembodied voice called. It was then Kairyn finally clocked onto where he was. The room was hardly a room at all. It was more like a cage with rusty iron bars at one end and a filthy looking bed that lay buckled under a chuck of rock off to one side.

"Looks like a cell of some sort. What was this place? A prison? Did they capture things to put in here?" Kairyn reported back. Littlefoot's mind burned with another flashback. He remembered seeing his friend, Jason, locked up in a cell when he was captured by the Red Phoenix squad and brought back to the base. It was that same night, Littlefoot had helped to break him out and they escaped.

Kairyn then took a cautious step forward and pressed against the iron gate that penned the cell. It was rusted to the point the metal was thinning in places. The gate didn't move so Kairyn dropped his shoulder to rest on the bars and pushed as hard as he could. The metal groaned in protest as it grinded on its oxidised hinges but hardly moved. Grunting, Kairyn then took a few steps back and then charged at the gate. With a leaping kick, Kairyn hit the gate so hard that the corroded metal shattered at the hinges and tumbled to the ground with a deafening clank.

"Kairyn? You alright? What happened?" Littlefoot immediately cried.

"Yeah I'm good. Just had to break down the gate. It was rusted shut," Kairyn said back after uncupping his ears from the dull ringing of the reverberating metal. "I'm gonna continue inside, going around to the right. I'll try and keep you informed where I can." Kairyn heard a shuffle of feet trudge off behind him as he stepped over the downed gate and around to the right to a door. With an apprehensive tingle in his fingertips, he gently pushed down on the handle and entered the main part of the building.

From what he could make out from the tall, lumbering shadows that rippled over the walls in response to his Minicom, Kairyn could see that the majority of the rooms had caved in and were impassable. Many of the doors were either blown inwards from the force of the collapsed walls and spilled out into the corridor or were just strong enough to keep the rubble from bursting out but bent and bowed to show they were at the pivotal point of integrity. Turning a corner, Kairyn then came to a long corridor with what seemed to be an infinite number of doors on either side. The door all sported symbols on the door that he deduced to be from the Greek alphabet. Despite the dust and rubble strewn about the place, there was an unpleasant odour lingering in the air. Kairyn's mind suddenly drew on what Littlefoot and Cera had mentioned about monsters coming from this place and the more he thought about it, the more the stench smelled like rotting flesh. Shaking the horrific images from his mind, Kairyn pressed on. He tried opening a few of the doors but they were either jammed shut or were empty. Nothing noteworthy to take in so he continued along the corridor.

After checking in with Littlefoot and Cera through a small gap in a window blocked by a giant tree root in what Kairyn thought to be a cleaner's cupboard, Kairyn then found the halls of the complex begin to change in design. Unlike the rooms previously that bore no windows, these room looked like they had viewing panes alongside the door which were shattered and left their shards glittering on the floor in the light of the Minicom's floating orb.

"_They look like labs…_" Kairyn thought to himself as he ducked to try and peek into one the rooms. The doors were dented and forced closed and most of the windows were patched up with rocky debris. In one or two of the rooms, he could make out computer monitors and other equipment but there was no way to get to any of them due to the blockades. Wandering down a little further, Kairyn flicked the light on his Minicom around until suddenly he came to a laboratory that looked significantly larger than the others. The window was partially crushed as part of the wall had collapsed in but door was open a crack. Seizing the opportunity, Kairyn placed his Minicom on the floor and, with both hands, tried to roll the sliding door to give him enough space to squeeze in but it refused to budge. Quickly improvising, Kairyn took a weighty stone and used it to smash open the cracked pane of glass that was stuck in the lower half of the door. Carefully sweeping away the shards, Kairyn picked up his Minicom and crawled on his hands and knees to enter the room.

Once inside, Kairyn dusted himself off and held his Minicom up high to examine the room. The far left wall had tumbled in on itself but was being supported by what looked like giant, metallic tubes on the back wall. Intrigued, Kairyn then took a step forwards but stopped when the ball of his foot rolled on something roughly cylindrical. Glancing down, Kairyn discovered a material he'd yet to come across since he'd infiltrated the building. Lying amongst the dust was what appeared to be white fabric. Crouching down on his hunches, Kairyn carefully extended a hand and slowly lifted the loose material from the dirty floor. As he did, Kairyn's eyes doubled in size as a bone rolled out from under the cloth. Flinching in disgust, Kairyn hurryingly threw the cloth away from him but quickly regretted it. The flap of white cloth folded back to reveal the bony remains of a human lying face down in the dirt. Kairyn let out a scream and shuffled backwards madly until he crashed into the counter behind him. The impact caused the whole room to shudder slightly as a few loose rocks tumbled down from the collapsed wall at the opposite end.

Kairyn tried his best to regain control of his breathing as he panted and choked on the thick dust now dancing in the air. As much as he hated seeing it, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the skeleton before him. It simply lay there, rib cage shattered, spine misaligned and skull lopped to one side staring soullessly back at him, Still slightly hyperventilating, Kairyn took a few seconds to slowly rise to his feet and gingerly flicked his foot forward to knock one of the long arm bone. It rolled awkwardly until it stopped next to the ribs of which some were missing. Kairyn, after a few more seconds, took the safe assumption that this skeleton would not be coming back to life, despite the crazy flashbacks of what Littlefoot had said before.

Now more cautious than ever, Kairyn recomposed himself and looked over the carcass again.

"_It's a lab coat. This guy was a scientist or technician of some sort_," Kairyn thought as he felt his temples pulse violently. Upon closer inspection, Kairyn looked at the black badge that was attached to the chest of the coat.

"Professor Xander Baxter; Project Leader. Red Phoenix Corporation," he read aloud. "Don't recognise the name or the company. I wonder if the others knew this guy." Snapping the tag off the badge, Kairyn quickly pocketed it and stood up again to continue examining the lab.

Kairyn took a quick look over the metal canisters at the back of the room which proved to be empty and sealed shut, all apart from the base of one which looked like the whole metal tube was missing. Then, turning to the worktop, Kairyn discovered a computer whose monitor was busted beyond repair. He figured that this was the main terminal that Professor Baxter worked on but without any power and a viable monitor to view it, there was no way to tell what it held. At that moment, Kairyn heard his Minicom ping and an icon flashed up over the glowing orb that was illuminating the room.

"Another remote datalink available," Kairyn hummed. Tapping the touchscreen, Kairyn started to download the information he could access from the dead computer. The Minicom blipped happily as the transfer finished and Kairyn began scrolling through the files he'd obtained. Many of them were corrupt or incomplete and there were a number of words that popped up time and again that Kairyn couldn't quite get his head around.

Then, Kairyn's eyes widened as caught sight of something he did recognise. Some of the files made reference to the Stones of Essence and reports linked to them.

"Great! Something to go on. I'd better get back to Littlefoot and Cera," Kairyn thought as he closed down the file viewer and rebooted the light globe. In his excitement, Kairyn turned to head for the door but wasn't watching where he was stepping. In his rush, Kairyn's foot fell on the skull of the late Professor Baxter causing him to slip. As Kairyn fell forwards, his foot rolled backwards and kicked the skull like a hardened football and launched it into the pile of rubble that sat at the opposite end of the room. Kairyn cringed as the skull clacked against the rocks and nudged a number of smaller rocks wedged between the more larger stones. The rocks scarpered like frightened mice in all directions which immediately upset the already rickety balancing act of the other boulders and clumps of concrete. After a tense second or two, Kairyn yelped as the wall slipped and began tumbling inwards.

"Oh crap!" Kairyn blurted as the avalanche of rock and concrete piled in towards him. Scrambling on the ground, Kairyn made a four-footed dash for the exposed panel in the broken door. The shards of glass slashed at his hands cutting them open but he was more focused on not being crushed to notice.

The rockslide quickly filled the remaining space in the lab as Kairyn managed to crawl out into the hallway. The cascade didn't stop there as the viewing window gave way, as did the door and the wave of rubble poured into the corridor. Kairyn was already on his feet and sprinting down the hall as the rumblings of Professor Baxter's lab started a chain reaction that instantly upset the delicate balance of the collapsed walls in the neighbouring labs. Tons of rock and rubble spewed from the busted doorways and broken windows threatening to bury Kairyn for his intrusion. Kairyn spun around the corner trying desperately to recount the way back to the cells where he had come in. It was like being in a sewer system with a torrent of water falling in from every which way he looked and all damming doors and barricades were giving way to the surge.

Kairyn found himself back in the long corridor with the infinite doors on either side. A number of the Greek characters had been dislodged from their perch on the doors as they burst open and flooded the hall with grit and rubble. Kairyn did his best to leap through the cascades of gravel as he bounced between the walls to avoid being doused in rockery. Suddenly, one of the doors buckled just as Kairyn was passing and a waterfall of rocks tipped right on top of him. Kairyn felt a large rock knock into the side of his head with concussive force and he fell to the ground. He laid there motionless as the building continued to collapse around him like an ancient temple booby trap.

Meanwhile, outside the complex, Littlefoot and Cera were getting anxious as they heard the tumbling of rockery from somewhere inside and they hadn't heard from Kairyn in a while.

"Kairyn? Kairyn! Are you okay?" Littlefoot yelped, he was beginning to panic.

"Kairyn! Can you hear us? What's going on in there?" Cera shouted but all she could hear was the crashing of rubble. Dusty clouds plumed out of the windows and cracks in the walls as Littlefoot and Cera paced up and down but kept their distance.

"Oh! Kairyn! What's happened to him? Why isn't he calling back?" Littlefoot whined.

"It sounds like an earthshake in there!" Cera piped.

"We've gotta help him!" Littlefoot said urgently as he went to circle the building again. All the while, they continued calling out to Kairyn in the hope that he'd reply.

The rumblings of the complex were still echoing through its halls as Kairyn lay unmoving on the ground as piles of dirt and rocks toppled on him. Then, Kairyn let out a weak cough as his senses slowly began to return to him. Kairyn found that he was pinned and that piles of dirt were pouring in like sand from an overturned hourglass. His eyesight was blurred and distorted as the deafening crashes reverbed around his thumping head. Kairyn looked at his hands which where encrusted with tiny gleaming shards. Small bloody tears were embedded in the palms along with the glass. He then flinched as his temple throbbed painfully. He then realised he could feel a warm liquid trickling down on side of his face. Cupping the side of his head gently, he pulled his hand away to find it dripping with blood. Kairyn felt dizzy and his vision blurred in and out of focus again. He felt like he was going to pass out again but he suddenly heard the sound of voices over the rumbling.

"Uhh… Cera? Littlefoot?" he grumbled. He tried to move but he was still pinned under the rocks by his legs. Kairyn let out a painful cry as he arched backwards to try and lift the heavy stones off him. With enough space, he was able to yank his legs out just as the disturbance of the rocks caused them to tumble in again. With a quick scramble, Kairyn got to his feet and began charging down the corridor to the holding cells.

Barging the door open, Kairyn found himself back in the room with the cells. He flinched and shielded his head with his hands as another low rumble brought a trickle of stones down from the ceiling. It was then that Kairyn heard voices again calling to him from the outside.

"Cera? Littlefoot?" I'm here! Back where I was at the start!" he called. Even shouting to his friends was giving him a headache. He stumbled as another flicker of consciousness dipped in and out of him like a faulty light bulb.

"Kairyn? Are you alright? What happened?" Littlefoot's voice asked in quick succession.

"The wall in one of the labs gave way. The whole place is coming down!" Kairyn said as he looked up at the hole in the ceiling he had come through.

"You need to get out of there now!" Cera ordered.

"Err… working on it," Kairyn babbled looking around for something to use as a foothold. But there wasn't anything to use.

"C'mon! What's the hold up?" Cera shouted.

"The hole in the roof is too high! I can't reach it!" Kairyn complained. Just then another thunderous crash sounded just beyond the door. It sounded like the whole corridor had just been buried.

"C'mon Kairyn! Think of something! You have to get outta there!" Littlefoot pleaded. Kairyn looked back at the door that was now bowing inwards. It looked like it was going to give way any minute. Then, Kairyn looked at the ground and saw the gate to the cell he had kicked over to gain entrance to the complex. Hurryingly, he dragged the gate back into the cell and leaned it up against the wall on its side. Using the bars as rungs of a ladder, Kairyn climbed up the gate and made a stretch for the hole that was in the middle of the ceiling.

"Dammit! Too short!" he cursed just as the door gave another deafening bang.

"C'mon Kairyn! Hurry!" Littlefoot pleaded again. With no other options, Kairyn steadied himself on the very top of his makeshift ladder and balanced as best he could. With one casting backswing, Kairyn leapt up as high as he could and clasped the thin lip of the hole just as a torrent of dirt and rubble punched through the door and tumbled into the holding cells.

Reinforcing his grip with his second hand, Kairyn struggled and strained to haul himself up and out of the building. Once on top, he dashed over to where he could hear Littlefoot and Cera calling to him.

"Kairyn!" they both said in shock as he came into view. Kairyn smiled for all of a second as the building gave another dangerous shudder.

"Kairyn! Jump!" Cera shouted up to him. Regaining his balance, Kairyn made a leap for the tree branch he had used to get onto the roof but the tremors beneath his feet killed the power in his leg on take-off and his desperate hand clasped around nothing. With a scream, Kairyn plunged towards the ground but he suddenly saw Littlefoot shoot into view.

The impact was bone crunching but Littlefoot used himself as a crash mat to cushion Kairyn's landing with the earth thus saving him. The pair of them groaned as they unfurled from one another and stood up.

"Whoa! Thanks Littlefoot," Kairyn wheezed gratefully. Littlefoot smiled through a grimace of pain but gasped when the building gave yet another thundering tremor.

"Let's get out of here!" Cera yelled as she took off for the opening in the fence. Without an objective word, Littlefoot and Kairyn hurried after her. They all leapt the buckled fence in a bound and sprinted into the darkened forest just as the complex finally gave way under its own weight and crashed to the forest floor in a cloud of dust.

Retracing their footsteps as best they could, Kairyn took out his Minicom again and allowed the glowing blue orb to light the way.

"Kairyn, you're hurt! You're bleeding!" Littlefoot gasped as he saw the glowing streak pouring down the left side of his face.

"I'm okay," Kairyn winced as he gingerly picked the glassy shards out of his hands.

"What happened in there?" Cera asked somewhat impressed by Kairyn's bravery to enter and grateful he'd made it out alive.

"I triggered a rockslide but that doesn't really matter. I did manage to find some data on the Stones of Essence. And this guy," Kairyn said. He dipped a blood-stained hand into his pocket and pulled out the name badge he obtained. "Professor Xander Baxter. Does that name mean anything to you?"

Littlefoot and Cera thought for minute.

"Professor Baxter? He's the one who was making all the monsters that attacked us in the Great Valley!" Cera exclaimed.

"Yeah, I remember! He's was also the one who knew about the Stones of Essence. But we later found out that he was on the same side as that nasty human and the Red Phoenix. Jason said Professor Baxter was killed as he, Jill and Mr Stone escaped from there."

"I'll vouch for that. I found his corpse still in his lab. Scared the hell outta me," Kairyn said half laughing. "I downloaded a load of information from his computer. Hopefully it will help shed a little light on all this Stones of Essence stuff since the Black Ghost isn't telling us anything. I'll have a look over it all when we get back." Kairyn then stifled a painful moan.

"What about your injuries?" Littlefoot then said.

"I'll sort them out later. Let's get back to Melissa and the others. I'm sure they'll wanna know about what we found."

So, the three of them made their way back into the Great Valley and quickly set off to find the others. They found Ducky and Spike roaming around in the meadows not too far from their home. They appeared to be searching for something.

"Hey guys!" Cera called to them and they made a beeline for each other.

"You are back! But you are hurt Kairyn! What happened?" Ducky seethed in horror. Spike was about to give his friends a welcoming lick but recoiled when he saw the drying blood matted to Kairyn's face.

"It's a long story but we've managed to get a good lot of intel from the building in that forest," Kairyn said smiling through his pain.

"Hey Ducky? Where's Petrie?" Littlefoot then asked.

"He is flying above. He is helping us search, he is. Yep, yep, yep," Ducky replied sounding somewhat unsettled.

"Helping you search? For what?" Cera asked curiously.

"For Melissa. She was not at our home when we went to look for her. No, no, no," Ducky reported gravely.

"What do you mean?" Kairyn asked sternly.

"Melissa was not at home. She is gone," Ducky repeated.

"Gone? What'dya mean she's gone?" Kairyn gasped.


	33. Snatched

Chapter 32: Snatched

Kairyn was pacing up and down like a caged animal; edgy and irritable. He was still bloodied from his narrow escape from the collapsing building in the Forest of Fear but even the stinging of his head wound in the open air didn't break his gait. The sudden revelation that Melissa, who had previously parted from the group after complaining of not feeling well, had disappeared made him both angry and anxious. Despite Ducky already reporting the fact that Melissa was no longer at her nest, Kairyn had made a beeline for the spot next to the river's bank where Ducky's family were currently residing. To Ducky's relief, her family were off wandering the Valley somewhere so they wouldn't witness Kairyn grumbling under his breath and aimlessly pacing to the extent he was wearing a dirt patch into the folded grass. He looked positively irate.

"Where the hell could she have gone to?" Kairyn steamed, "It's not like she had any reason to wander off."

"Kairyn, calm down. I'm sure she's just off exploring the Valley or something," Littlefoot said as gently as he could.

"She said she wasn't feeling well and was coming back here. Why would she lie?" Kairyn said only half-listening.

"No one said she was lying. Maybe she got lost. Neither of you have been here for very long," Littlefoot continued but Kairyn wasn't even looking at him.

"She shouldn't have wander off alone. We should've thought this through, she should have…" Kairyn muttered. That's when Cera cut in.

"Oh quit your whining! There could be any number of reasons why she's not back here. It's no one's fault!" she said hotly. Kairyn finally stopped pacing and turned to look at her challengingly. Big mistake! The stony glance was all the motivation Cera needed to throw her threehorn weight around. She storm marched directly at him forcing him to backpedal. Backed up against the trunk of a tree, Cera stared him straight in the eye.

"Look! We can stand here listening to you go on moping about something that's already happen, or, you can shut up, act like you've got a backbone and stop wasting the time we could be using to go find her!"

The gang were almost as surprised by Cera's sudden outburst as Kairyn was as he stood, nose to flailing nose, with the threehorn as she steely glare bore into his wide eyes. There was silence as Cera tightened her brow and inched uncomfortably closer to his face. Kairyn let out a defeated sigh.

"You're right… Sorry for ranting and acting like a spoilt brat," Kairyn said to the group, shoulders slumped. Cera huffed in his face and backed away allowing Kairyn to peel himself away from the rough bark of the tree.

"Alright, let's go look for her then," Littlefoot said, grateful to see the tension finally dissipate.

"Where should we start?" Ducky asked.

"Let's start here and work our way outwards. Everyone pair up and search the area. We'll work together and take a part of the Valley at a time," Littlefoot instructed and everyone nodded.

"Me and Ducky will search high. Me look from the sky and help Ducky get up into trees so she can get good look around," Petrie said.

"Good idea Petrie. Okay, you two go. Cera, you and Spike check the bushes and paths close by, it could be that maybe she might have taken a wrong turn somewhere close. Me and Kairyn will search by the river." Cera and Spike nodded and headed off towards the nearby shrubbery that sheltered the water's edge. After watching them leave, Littlefoot turned to Kairyn.

"Ready to go?" he said just he caught Kairyn splashing water on his face. Washing the dried blood streak off his forehead and cheek, he turned to the longneck looking refreshed.

"Yeah, let's go," Kairyn piped with a determined smile. Littlefoot returned the gesture as they began tracing the nearside riverbank for any hint of Melissa.

Having scoured high and low around Ducky's home grounds, the group came to the conclusion that Melissa was not in the immediate vicinity and looked to expand their search efforts further afield. For what seemed like hours, the gang tirelessly hunted for the slightest trace of Melissa's whereabouts. As they moved into more populated areas, the gang started asking other dinosaurs if they had seen a human girl anywhere. This came with varied degrees of fruitlessness ranging from not knowing where she was to not knowing WHAT she was. Some of the visiting dinosaurs and Farwalkers had never come across a human before and some were even hostile toward Kairyn as he asked them. To that end, Kairyn found it less imposing if he let Littlefoot do the talking. This gave him some time away from the search party to have a quick flick through some of the downloaded information he had acquired from the collapsed base in the Forest of Fear and Chronos Doorway's operating terminal high up in the Valley's mountains. He quickly discovered that much of the data he'd obtained was corrupt. He was also amazed at how ancient the files were; running in formats he'd never heard of or he knew were long since expired and redundant.

"Sheesh! No one uses JPEGs anymore… and what's a DOC file?" he pondered. He then caught Littlefoot coming up to him out of the corner of his eye and he looked up.

"Any luck?" Kairyn asked hopefully.

"Nah… another group of Farwalkers who didn't know what a human was. Thought it was pointless trying to explain so I didn't bother," Littlefoot sighed, "What are you up to?"

"Trying to make sense of all this techno-babble and garble I got from those computers. Some files are encoded in some ancient lingo, others are just junk data and the stuff I can get into doesn't make much sense. Graphs and charts, reports, diagnostics, diagrams, molecular models; it's all beyond me. It uses all fancy terms and scientific words that aren't exactly common knowledge. I'd need an actual scientist to work out what it's going on about. Whatever this stuff is, it's some highly classified, high tech kit and research. Black projects maybe?"

Littlefoot was lost in the sea of incomprehensible words that even Kairyn was speaking but he understood that what they had received could not be deciphered without further assistance.

"Hey! Here's something," Kairyn then said. Littlefoot wheeled around to sit beside him as they both stared at the tiny screen. Kairyn tapped the Minicom and a magnified hologram of a report, complete with diagrams and charts, floated up and out of the device. Littlefoot was amazed simply by the glowing, neon blue writing that hovered before him as Kairyn began reading through. He'd seen letters before but did not have the capacity to remember how they worked. He flashed back to a moment with Jason when he saw the boy draw his name in the dirt and was astounded.

"What is that? What's it say?" Littlefoot asked as the thought popped like a bubble in his mind.

"A report of some kind," Kairyn said without turning to him, "Looks like a log of when that giant ring thing was operated. Here's a date… September 14th… whoa! 2113AD! That's like three hundred years ago! Has that thing really been here for three hundred years?"

"N-no! That can't be!" Littlefoot stammered. "There have only been three cold times since Jason left the Great Valley. Not three hundred!"

"This is weird! How can you claim that humans were here only three years ago yet, from my standing, this documents it happening three centuries ago? Something doesn't add up… unless…"

"Unless what?" Littlefoot asked with baited breath.

"Unless, we are looking at the crossing of three different time periods. Yours, mine and that of your friend's," Kairyn revealed with a gaping mouth. Littlefoot felt a rush of air shoot down his throat as he gasped.

"Think about it. Your time here, circa 65 million BC, the time when this says it was first activated, 2113AD and my time, 327NE. Whatever this machine is, it's able to cross time boundaries depending on when, in time, it is activated."

"So that means, someone must have got it working in your time as well as in Jason's time too," Littlefoot said now catching on. "So, does that mean that Jason could still be out there somewhere?"

"I guess so, if he were able to get the thing working from his end. Or if we could get it working from here and could control where it takes us," Kairyn said hypothetically. Littlefoot felt his spirits soar. Even though it was a slither of a chance that Jason could be alive out there somewhere, it was still a chance that they could, one day, possibly make contact with him again. Possibly even a chance he'd be willing to take if it presented itself.

"Hey, look here; the last two entries. Both on 19th April 2467AD. This thing is still running the old Anno Domini suffix. If I convert the AD years to the New Era… the New Era suffix didn't start until sometime after 2113, so it won't be exactly when it started... Ahh! There!" Kairyn said then he gasped himself.

"What? What's it say?" Littlefoot asked flicked between the digits and Kairyn's awestruck face.

"19th April 327NE! That's less than a week ago!" he gawked, "That's the same day I found you in the cyro room at Keltech Labs in Second London!"

"The day I was kidnapped…" Littlefoot breathed in shock.

"What the hell… What the hell were Keltech planning on doing? They snatched you by reopening the Chronos Doorway despite it being dormant for years. How'd they do it? How'd they even know about all this stuff if it was all happening three hundred years in our past? And what's this got to do with these Stones of Essence?"

Littlefoot and Kairyn stared at each other for a moment. They both suddenly felt the same sense of unease pulse through them. An underhanded mystery was going on and somehow, Keltech was linked to it. Then, a hollering from overhead broke their gaze from one another. Petrie and Ducky were descending in from above. Once close enough to the ground, Ducky dropped from her hanging perch landed with a squeaky huff as Petrie stood beside her.

"We find something!" Petrie reported in. Littlefoot and Kairyn leaned in closer.

"A swimmer said that they saw someone walking towards the High Rocks up near the mountains. They said it did not look like a dinosaur," Ducky chimed in pointing behind them.

"But why would she be heading that way? That's nowhere near Ducky's nest," Littlefoot said looking confused.

"What's up that way?" Kairyn asked getting to his feet. He clamped the Minicom shut and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Nothing really. Some mountain paths, some we use as escape routes in case of an emergency," Littlefoot said.

"Yeah. 'Member the huge fire that started the Time of the Great Giving? We use the paths back then," Petrie added.

"There's also another way around to the Great Wall from there and a few lookout points out into the Mysterious Beyond. Apart from that, there's nothing else," Littlefoot said matter-of-factly.

"You no think she trying to get out of Great Valley do you?" Petrie then asked.

"I can't see why given the hell we went through just to get here," Kairyn said flatly, "But still, it's something to go on. Let's head up there. Maybe we can catch her."

Meeting up with Cera and Spike, they headed for the mountain paths. Similar to the path up to the Great Wall, the bordering edge of the grassy fields of the fields and meadows transformed into a dusty, baked earth littered with loose rolling gravel and huge boulders.

"Hey! Lookie here!" Ducky said signalling to the sandy ground. Everyone ducked down to examine disturbances in the dirt.

"Those are the weirdest footprints I've ever seen," Cera said eyeing them peculiarly.

"They're Melissa's alright and they look recent," Kairyn said looking over the grooves of the tread of her shoes. "Looks like she headed up." Without need for a suggestion, the gang wasted no time in heading up the steep incline and followed the twists and turns up the rocky mountainsides.

During their ascent, Kairyn explained what he and Littlefoot had discovered from the data on the Minicom. It was confusing at first but when Littlefoot announced that there was a possibility that contact could be made with their human friends again, it brought an instant smile to all of their faces. Kairyn, on the other hand, was trying to piece together Keltech's involvement in all of this. It was unnerving to think how his father's employers were meddling with century old technology and were using some hardball strategies. A whirlwind of mixed emotions and thoughts spun around in his head. How did they find out about the Chronos Doorway? How did they get it working? And, more importantly, could it be used as a way to get him back home? Something in the back of his mind was nagging him. He couldn't see how the Stones of Essence fit into all of this. Why were they so important? What was the connection between the stones, Littlefoot and his friends and the Red Phoenix corporation who built the Chronos Doorway? What were that company trying to achieve? And how did they pull it all off?

It took the group a little while before they came to a few splits in the path as they neared the top. Most of the paths that broke off to the left stopped abruptly as the described lookout points out into the Mysterious Beyond. They all paused for a moment to rest as they all perched close to the edge of the path to survey the untamed wilderness of the land that stretched beyond the Great Valley's borders.

"So where to now?" Kairyn asked. Despite the stories of hardships of the Mysterious Beyond, he couldn't help but be breathtaken by the view.

"Well, the Great Wall is down that path there," Littlefoot said nodding towards the path furthest from them that bowed around to the right.

"I think she went that way, her footprints go down that path," Ducky said as she examined the tracks, "But, they look longer now." The gang all glanced at each other for a moment before going over to join her.

"She's right. It looks like she was dragging her feet," Cera said.

"And look at the distance between them… short in length but wide laterally…" Kairyn said sounding fretful. "It's like she's staggering."

"You think she's hurt?" Petrie asked worryingly.

"I hope not. We'd better pick up the pace. If she's ill, she might be in trouble if she doesn't get help," Kairyn said seriously. So, the group quickly picked themselves up and headed down towards the Great Wall. Each of them silently hoping that they'd find Melissa before something tragic happened.

The trip down to the Great Wall didn't take as long as Kairyn had expected as they rounded a large set of boulders and came to the large clearing where the Chronos Doorway stood at one end. As the gigantic wall of rubble came into view, the gang all jumped when they heard Petrie shout out.

"There she is! Me see her!" Petrie cried having taken to the air to scout ahead.

"Oh my God!" Kairyn breathed as he suddenly broke into a dash. Within moments, they were by her side and Kairyn had already scooped her up with one arm to look her over.

"Melissa? Melissa! Are you all right?" Kairyn said hurryingly but she lay limp in his arms.

"What's wrong with her?" Cera asked desperately.

"I dunno… she's…" Kairyn started but he then noticed that she was breathing. "She's alive but unconscious I think." The gang sighed relieved.

"Well, we found her. Let's get her back down to the Valley," Littlefoot suggested. Kairyn nodded as he slowly lifted Melissa up. Spike very graciously wandered up to him and allowed Kairyn to place her on his back.

"Thanks Spike," Kairyn smiled. The stegosaurus hummed and smiled back.

Before any of them could take a step, there was a sound of tumbling rocks from the surrounding walls of the area. All of a sudden, a long, cylindrical object dropped in front of them with a metallic ping as it bounced off the gravelly ground. All of them caught a glimpse of it for a split second before a small bang shot out and a brilliant sheet of white light bleached their vision. The gang all wailed in fright and dropped to the ground covering their stinging eyes. Just audible over their screams, there was a sudden rush of feet and a chorus of strong voices barking words. Kairyn could just about hear them over the frightened cries of his friends and the clapping of feet. The voices sounded almost militant.

"Targets subdued. Securing package plus new extra."

"Roger that. Knock him out and wrap 'em up. Neutralise the lizards and let's get back home. Leave no traces."

"Copy that."

"No! Wait! Don't hurt them!" Kairyn managed to yell into his blindness. Coloured blurs started to mix into one another like muddy water as he felt something snatch at his middle and lift him off the ground.

"Hey! Lemme go! Get off me!" Kairyn protested. "I'm…" A moment later, he felt something stab him violently in the left arm. He flinched for all of a second before he felt his head spin crazily. His eyelids suddenly became lead weights and he battled to keep them open. As he struggled, Kairyn heard a ring of pressurised "thwipp" sounds, like a silenced firearm being discharged. He heard this sound five times and his dinosaur friends cry out in fear and pain. Kairyn tried his hardest to call out to them but not even a whimper past his lips as he blacked out.

* * *

Littlefoot grumbled as he felt something damp strike the side of his face. He cringed and groaned before feeling it lap his face again. Groggily, Littlefoot opened his eyes. He felt like he'd been rammed by a charging threehorn and his head was swimming. He heard some voices echoing in his ears as he rolled over to lay on his stomach.

"Look! He is waking up! He is! That is enough Spike. Let him get up."

"Ugh? Huh? Ducky?" Littlefoot slurred as his world bled back into focus.

"Uh huh, it is me. Are you all right?" a slightly distorted Ducky asked. With one last blink, the world became recognisable again and he could see Cera, Spike and Petrie standing around him. They too looked like they'd been sleeping for a long stretch of time.

"Ugh yeah, I'm okay," he said with a croak. "Hey, where's Melissa? Where's Kairyn?"

"We don't know. We just woke up and they were both gone," Cera said grimly.

"What happened? What was that bright light?" Littlefoot babbled.

"I dunno what happened but that's happened to us before," Cera said.

"Yep me 'member. It when you get captured by those scary humans," Petrie said sheepishly.

"Humans? You mean…" Littlefoot said with a start.

"Yeah, I think we've got more humans somewhere around here besides just Melissa and that kid. My guess is that they've taken them coz they're not here and I could hear him calling out to them," Cera said sternly. Spike then grumbled to get their attention. He was pawing and signalling at the ground.

"Look at all the footprints! How many humans do you think there were?" Ducky hummed wearily.

"Me no can tell which way they go. They all go in different directions," Petrie cawed. His head still spinning so much his first attempt to get airborne found him colliding with a nearby rock.

"I don't know, but something's telling me this can't be good," Cera muttered cautiously.

Littlefoot felt like he'd been struck in the gut. Both Kairyn and Melissa were missing and now they had no idea where either of them were. Littlefoot looked up to the giant arching ring of the Chronos Doorway as if it might console him somehow. A dreaded feeling of being forsaken and helpless was sweeping over him. He'd lost his friends in their previous endeavour and now he had lost his current human friends too. He couldn't help but feel fearful that history might be repeating itself and he was not ready. This was the start of something where nothing good could come of it.

* * *

Kairyn's world was a blurry mess. He'd been floating in and out of a dreamy sleep like he was on the brink of losing complete consciousness forever. If it weren't for his delirious senses fading in and out from time to time, he could have sworn he was already dead. On the odd occasion, he could hear muffled voices buzzing in his ears. He couldn't make out who was speaking but the tones were mixed. Sometimes calm and collected, others flared and angry. This time, Kairyn could feel his strength returning and for longer. He opened his eyes slowly like he'd been hibernating for a long winter. Even that was a chore but he managed it this time. A brilliant white light beamed into his face forcing him to blink a couple of times before his surroundings blurred back into view. As the fuzzy filter on his vision cleared, he could hear a tuneless beeping constantly sounding, regular as a clock ticking, just off to his left.

As more of his stamina returned to his aching muscles, Kairyn cringed as he tried to sit up. It was a struggle but he managed. That's when he finally took in his environment. Not one square inch of it was natural. The blue sky, the soft grass, the soothing sound of running water and the sweet scent of the trees and flowers had all given way to a bleached white, windowless room filled with artificial lighting, cold flooring and the hum and buzz of electrical equipment.

"Where… where the hell am I?" Kairyn said in awe. He felt his face burn and briskly rubbed it with his two hands. That's when he caught a glimpse of himself when he removed his hands. He was in a bed, the mattress soft and warm. The bed linen was cotton soft and was as white as the room; sterile and well kept. What horrified him more was that he was topless and on his bare chest were a number of pads stuck to him with tiny rods shooting out of them like different coloured saplings. There positioning on him looked specific. That's when he finally registered the beeping off to his left hand side and he snapped his head around to it. Attached to the bed frame but looming over him like a watchful bodyguard, was a monitor screen flooded with rolling graphs and sharply zigzagging lines of a variety of colours accompanied by numbers that fluctuated up and down. Most of the abbreviated letters and flickering numbers didn't make much sense but at the top of the screen was a rolling red graph that squiggled up and down violently as it traced its path from left to right. To the right of it was a small 3D model of a beating heart that pulsed in perfect time and rhythm to the line graph.

"A U-ECG?" Kairyn hummed curiously as he watched the red glowing numbers below the quickening beating heart increase to 92. Kairyn knew that this was a medical machine designed and made by Keltech; another gift to the world, and that made him uncomfortable for some reason. Then, Kairyn heard the pressurised hiss of the door go off as it slid to one side and a man in a white coat walked in.

"Ahh, awake at last. You've been napping for quite a while. Good to see you stable again," the man said with a welcoming smile. Kairyn offered a weak one in return as the doctor strolled over to his bedside. He looked fairly young, probably not that much older than his brother, Tyronne, and spoke with an authoritative yet even tone like he'd done this a thousand times before.

"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked helping Kairyn shuffle back so he could prop his back up against the headrest. The metal sheet was chilling on his bare back.

"Err… okay I guess…" Kairyn slurred. He didn't know what to make of the guy now checking him over. He seemed nice enough but given how he had no idea where he was or how he got there, his instincts told him it was best to remain suspicious of everyone. The doctor smiled again as he started fiddling with the different coloured rods sticking out of the pads attached to Kairyn's chest.

"Urm… what are those things on me?" Kairyn asked nervously.

"They're feedback sensors. Wireless pads that link to the screen up here. They're to help monitor your vital signs," the doctor explained as he flicked between Kairyn and the monitor. "See here? Each of the coloured antennae links to the specific graph on the screen. Everything from breathing rate, tidal volume and lung capacity, blood pressure, blood oxygen and glucose levels, you name it. It gives a comprehensive readout of your vitals in one go. Cool huh?" Kairyn grimaced a smile as the doctor started adjusting the red antenna.

"This one focuses specifically on the condition of your heart. It shows us your heart rate and rhythm, stroke volume and capacity and even gives us an ultrasound too. Hence the name U-ECG. This way we can monitor your heart's activity, internal workings and external, in real time as it beats inside you. Amazing isn't it? Almost like looking at the real thing."

Kairyn feigned a smile again. The idea of seeing his own heart beating on the screen next to him was disturbing enough (his insides being viewed from the outside via Wi-Fi) but the doctor's cheery mood freaked him out even more. Evidently, this was the fabled 'doctor's bedside manner' at its finest. Being spoken down to and patronised coz he was a kid. He was half expecting the guy to offer him a lollypop after an injection, if he had one coming.

"Well, everything seems to be in order. Give it another hour or two and you'll be up and running in no time," the doctor said as he tapped the monitor one last time before turning to head for the door.

"Hang on wait," Kairyn called as the door slid open. The doctor paused in the doorway and looked at him.

"Where… where am I?" Kairyn asked. The man paused for a moment as if to think what to say.

"You're safe now." That was all the man said before stepping outside and the door glided shut behind him. Kairyn was about say something else but he was already gone.

Slumping in his bed, Kairyn gazed around the room. There wasn't much to see and the only screen in the room was stuck on the one channel constantly reminding him that he was alive. Flicking the covers off of him, Kairyn swung his legs over the side and felt the balls of his feet tingle as they touched the ice cold floor. Walking up to the door, Kairyn hoped that it would fly open as he approached but sadly it didn't.

"Great! A patient and a prisoner," Kairyn muttered to himself. With nothing else in the room, Kairyn returned to his bed and sat on it. Rubbing his face in his hands again, his thoughts quickly rushed to that of his friends. Were they all right? If they were, they were probably worried sick. Snatched from right in front of them in a blinding flash. It was obviously a sweep team coming to seize them but what troubled Kairyn most was what he remembered them saying. 'Securing package plus new extra'. Was this a rescue team out to look for Melissa?

"New extra? Was I not intended to be picked up by those jarheads?" Kairyn said to himself. The situation seemed to present more questions than it answered. Also, he had no idea where he was. Could he possibly be back in 327NE? Whatever the case, he figured Keltech had something to do with it and his gut was telling him that he was intentionally being kept in the dark. Why else would they keep him bolted up?

It was at that point that Kairyn made a horrifying discovery. He glanced around the room, beside his bed and across the way, but there was nothing there. His personal belongings were gone. Confiscated no doubt but that meant that both his Minicom with all the data he'd downloaded and the yellow Stone of Essence was now in someone else's possession.

"Argh… perfect!" Kairyn grumbled. "Stuck here with nothing to do, dunno how Melissa, Littlefoot or the others are doing and been raided as well just to top it off. What else could happen?"

Suddenly, there was commotion in the hallway outside Kairyn's door. He leaned forward as he could have sworn he heard someone calling his name. Kairyn frowned as the voice got closer. It was still greatly muffled by the thick walls but it sounded familiar. Then, he heard a thumping on the door and the voice seeped through.

"Tyronne?" Kairyn whispered.

"Kai! Kai! Are you in there? It's me! It's Tyronne!" the voice said through the dull pounding on the door. Kairyn launched himself off the bed and ran to the door with slapping fleshy footsteps.

"Tyronne! It's me, Kai!" he hollered through the door.

"Kai! Oh thank God! When I heard about a boy being brought in, I came straight down to the med bay. Jeez Kai! I thought you were dead! After the incident back in Second London I feared the worst."

"I'm okay… wait. Back in Second London? Are we not back in our own time?"

"No, we're stuck here in this prehistoric pit. It's a miracle you were able to stay alive this long."

Kairyn dipped his head for a moment. There was so much he wanted to tell his brother but he wasn't quite sure how nor how he'd take it.

"Listen, I don't have clearance to access the door; we'll have time to catch up later. You're under quarantine for the time being but the doctor's got a few more diagnostics to run. Just sit tight and you'll be out in a little while."

"O-okay," Kairyn said slowly.

"And Kai…" Tyronne suddenly shouted.

"Yeah?"

"It's great to hear your voice again little brother. I promise I'll visit you the second you get the all clear."

"Sure thing brother. I'll cya soon. It's… it's good to hear your voice too," Kairyn said smiling. A choking lump had formed in his throat which almost mushed his words into a pathetic whimper. There was a double thump on the door and Kairyn heard the sound of boots clapping on the floor and getting fainter.

Kairyn turned to his bed and flopped down on it face first. He didn't want the world to see the tears roll down his cheeks as he wept. The whole situation had finally gripped him and had taken its toll. For the first time since arriving in this prehistoric world, he really did feel like a helpless, defenceless little kid. Maybe it was the thought that he might never see his parents or brother again that kept him strong whilst travelling with Littlefoot; the idea that he was now on his own. However, on hearing his brother's voice on the other side of the door, it broke him. He suddenly felt very vulnerable and was genuinely scared.


	34. Within the Walls of Keltech

Chapter 33: Within the Walls of Keltech

Having just spoken to Kairyn through the locked door to one of the recovery rooms, Tyronne felt a warm sweep of relief course through him as he jogged down the corridor. The little brother he thought he'd lost along with his father back in Second London was alive and being treated by the medical team. It was almost overwhelming. He'd almost given up all hope of ever seeing him again and couldn't wait to finally speak with him face to face about what had happened to him. Tyronne was so lost in a whirlwind of his own thoughts that he rounded the corner without looking up and bounced into what he initially thought was a wall. Taking a step backwards and looking up, he let out a weak yelp when he realised he had just walked, face first, into the chest of his commanding officer.

"Oh, e-excuse me Captain Schnei…" Tyronne started but instantly stopped when he saw the giant of a man flare his nostrils. Tyronne then quickly realised his mistake, "I mean Colonel Schneider. Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." He quickly averted his gaze so not to be burned by his icy stare.

"I hear your bruzher was recovered in zee rescue op. Is he alright?" Schneider then asked in a surprisingly even tone.

"Uhh, yes sir," Tyronne stuttered, "he's in the recovery wing. The doctor said he's under watch for another couple of hours then he can be discharged provided nothing develops."

"Zat is good news," the colonel said calmly before his tone rose up to its usual militaristic boom, "Taylor, you need to report to zee Operations Room. Vee are due to receive new directives vonce zee other scouts return."

"Y-yes sir; right away," Tyronne nodded still refusing to look Schneider in the eye. He then flinched slightly as he saw Schneider right arm move upwards. He then felt it come down firmly on his left shoulder. It was then Tyronne looked up at Schneider and found his eyes were not as cold as he imagined them to be.

"When zee medics give your bruzher zee all clear, I'll make sure you are informed immediately. Don't you worry about him." Tyronne was speechless for a second as he read the look on his leader's face. Whatever it was, the gesture seemed genuinely comforting.

"Yes sir, thank you sir," Tyronne said finally. Schneider nodded and released Tyronne from his grip and stepped past leaving Tyronne a little bewildered by the whole interaction. Shaking his head, Tyronne then hurried off towards the Operations Room as he had been instructed.

Schneider's huge paces led him around to the medical area where he stopped outside one of the rooms. Showing his I.D card to the scanner, the console blipped and the pressurised door hissed and slid open.

"Ahh, Colonel, you're here," one of the men in a lab coat said as Schneider stepped into the bleached white room which was full of various medical tech, instruments and computer screens. The person who greeted the colonel was the same man who had examined Kairyn before Tyronne had arrived at his brother's room.

"The girl's been returned to Professor Clements and he's already completed his analysis of her condition. He insisted that he be the one to treat her but apparently, we got to her just in time."

"Vot about zee boy? Anything to report on him?" Schneider asked gruffly.

"All vital signs are good and strong with no signs of physical injury. You wouldn't have thought this kid's been out surviving in this prehistoric world. A miracle he's in such a good condition," the doctor said poking at his PDA.

"Vot about the exposure to the dark matter? Anything?"

"All tests came back negative. We've got blood and tissue samples but so far they've come back with nothing. It's like he'd never touched the stuff."

"He had full contact with zee dark matter without any kind of radiation shielding. How da hell did he survive being warped here without being vaporised into a fleshy puddle?" Schneider said with fingers propped under his chin in thought.

"We're still trying to work that out," the doctor said still fanning through his digital notes on his pocket computer.

"Is zere anything about zees kid worth noting beside how damn lucky he is?" Schneider huffed irritably as he moved towards one of the viewing monitors. On the screen, underneath a whirling set of numbers that spun upwards as it recorded, was a stuttering image of Kairyn lying on his bed starting up at the ceiling. He looked positively miserable; like a caged animal; its will broken by its captivity.

"Well, we did find these on him," the doctor said gesturing to the side. Schneider broke away from the monitor and followed him over to a table in the corner of the room. On a stainless steel tray were Kairyn's Minicom and a gleaming yellow triangular-cut gemstone amongst other items of lesser interest. Both of them were in sterile plastic bags as if they were evidence lifted from a crime scene. Schneider's eyes widened slightly as he gazed into the stone.

"We were going to send these off to the R&D department for analysis but we got the call that you were supposed to pick these up," the man said. Schneider picked up the Minicom and the triangular stone and dropped them into his pocket.

"What's gonna happen to the kid once we've cleared him?" the man then asked.

"He's been here a while; long before us. He'll need to be interrogated to see what we can draw out of him. His intel might prove useful," Schneider replied coldly, "how long until zee boy is discharged?"

"An hour, maybe two, just to be sure," the doctor said dismissively.

"Has he been tagged?"

"And active. The tracker's in his chest, just under his left collarbone. With it there, we can monitor all lifelines as well as place his location via radio signal."

"Gud! I don't vant him dropping off our radar again. I vant to know vere he is at all times. If anything about his condition changes, I vant to be informed immediately."

"Of course Colonel," the doctor said as Schneider made his way to the door. As he past the viewing monitors, he paused and glanced down on them again. Kairyn was now sitting with his legs over the side of the bed staring blankly at the console monitoring his vitals.

"Pitiful. Zat poor child has no idea vot he's involved himself in," he muttered as he turned to the door and strolled through it once it opened. Just as he entered the hallway, Kairyn had turned and glanced up at the camera as if to respond to Schneider's words.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the Great Valley, Littlefoot and his friends were lost in a storm of high emotions. They had scoured the area around the Chronos Doorway in a desperate search for Kairyn and Melissa but they had simply vanished without a trace. They had doubled back to a higher vantage point that overlooked the Mysterious Beyond but even from there, there were no signs or clues as to where the ambushing humans could have taken their friends. Crestfallen, the gang had returned to the fields to rekindle their thoughts but it was difficult to think straight knowing that there were a group of humans, of an undetermined size, out somewhere in the wilds beyond the Great Valley's borders.

"What we gonna do?" Petrie sighed. "We no find Kairyn or Melissa anywhere and we look all over."

"I hope that they are okay. Yep, yep, yep," Ducky chimed in feeling equally defeated. Spike bumped her with the side of his nose and whimpered as she hugged the tip of it.

"The worse of it is that we know there are humans roaming around just outside the Great Valley," Cera said worryingly. "What if they all come into the Valley? We'll have another problem like when those humans with the Red Phoenix came and made a mess of things."

"What the grown-ups gonna say when they find out?" Petrie said now starting to tremble slightly.

"Well… maybe we won't have to tell them anything," Cera said quickly.

"But Cera. How are we going to explain to our mama that Melissa is not with us anymore when we go home tonight?" Ducky then said.

"And how Littlefoot gonna tell him grandparents that Kairyn gone all of a sudden?" Petrie added. Cera opened her mouth to speak but closed it again when all she could offer was a guttering squeak of uncertainty.

"Don't you have anything to say about this Littlefoot?" she then fired off to her left to try and remove the attention she's unwittingly drawn onto herself. Littlefoot looked up, his eyes were tired and he looked just as defeated as his friends sounded. He hadn't spoken a word since they had descended from the mountains and was clearly lost in amongst his thoughts.

"I don't know you guys. What can we do? We have no idea where Kairyn and Melissa are and we know that humans are outside the Valley," he said finally. "This isn't something we can keep to ourselves. The grown-ups need to know, otherwise someone might get hurt." The group shuffled in the awkward silence.

"They're gonna figure out something's wrong eventually. We might as well tell them what's happened," Littlefoot continued. Although, from the tone of his voice, he clearly had reservations about the idea himself. The gang fidgeted and mumbled a little more but agreed to tell their folks what had happened. Dispirited, they made for the open meadows in search of Littlefoot's grandparents. They figured that if they were going to impart some bad news, they may as well share it with the two most understanding adults they knew.

* * *

By now, Kairyn had lost all concept of time and he was bored senseless of staring at the locked door to his recovery room waiting for it to slide open. The tuneless bleeping of the U-ECG beside him had now become ambient noise and he hardly registered it anymore. The bed was uncomfortably warm and itchy under his bare back so he promptly swung his legs over the side and dropped to the cold floor with a two-footed fleshy slap. Even though there was nothing in the tiny room besides his bed and monitor, Kairyn felt the urge to move around. An unsettling notion of being watched made his skin prickle. He felt like a lab rat in a maze because he knew the doctors and other personnel were probably analysing every conceivable detail about him and they were probably doing the same thing to Melissa too. A shiver past through him as he thought about his Minicom and the Angel's Amethyst being taken off him. God only knew what they were doing with them and it was unlikely that he'd get them back. Kairyn could suddenly hear his father's voice ringing in his ears; the promise he'd made to him in his dying moments to uncover its secrets. But that, in its own right, puzzled him.

"If Dad was working on this project and that gemstone within Keltech, then why would he give it to me?" he pondered. "Why didn't he just give it to someone on his team? Surely they'd have a better understanding than I would." Kairyn reached up with his right hand and scratched at a hot, itchy spot just under his collarbone as he thought on the idea.

Just then, Kairyn heard a hiss from behind him and he turned to the door as the same doctor who had examined him before walked in.

"Good to see you up and about kiddo," he said with a smile. Kairyn felt the corner of his lip twitch into what he hoped looked like a smile but he was glad that the doctor had quickly turned to the monitors at that moment because it probably wasn't very convincing.

"I didn't realise I was taking care of one of the late Professor Taylor's sons," the doctor chuckled as he scanned the rolling graphs. "Had I known I was treating the offspring of such a renowned scientist, I'd have asked you to sign my lab coat." Kairyn didn't even smirk at the comment. The uttering of the words 'late Professor Taylor' were said so casually it struck him like a sucker punch to the stomach and it made him feel incredibly sick. The doctor then turned to face him wearing the same grin as before.

"Well, the good news is you've been given the green light. All's clear from the tests and exams. I've gotta say I'm amazed at the nick you're in given you've been scrounging around out here for nearly a week." Kairyn still didn't say anything. Whatever decorum he had for this mop-topped, loose-lipped, patronising creep had all but evaporated once he mentioned his father.

"Right then. I have your clothes here so you can get dressed. I'll grab those sensors off you so you can get ready."

"Get ready? For what?" Kairyn finally said as he started tugging the pads off his chest and slid his t-shirt over his head. The doctor's words sounded baited.

"You've got someone waiting for you," the doctor said; his goofy smile stretching wider. Kairyn eyed the doctor curiously as he slipped his arms into his hooded jacket but the man in the lab coat simply nodded towards the door. Moving around the bed, Kairyn muttered a thank you and stood before the door. This time, the door glided open and allowed him out into the corridor of the medical wing. He had hardly taken in the immediate area when he heard someone call his name off to his right.

"Tyronne!" Kairyn piped when he saw who had called out to him. The movement was swift and uncharacteristic for the pair of them, but it was instinctive. The two brothers rushed forward and locked their arms around each other in a tight hug.

"Jeez Kai, I'm so glad you're safe," Tyronne said pushing his little brother back to arm's length so he could look at his face. The smile that crept onto Kairyn's face was one of pure delight. "I thought I'd lost you."

"I'm okay Ty, really," Kairyn said gazing back into this brother's eyes. They could have stood there all day admiring the fact that they were together again but Tyronne turned around and pointed down the corridor.

"Come with me Kai. I'll show you to a dorm where you can stay for the time being." Kairyn nodded and was two paces behind his brother as he led them out of the medical wing.

It was only as they were walking through the halls that Kairyn began taking in his surroundings. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn he was back in the Keltech Labs in Second London. He almost felt like he could have strolled out the front door and caught the next hoverbus back home like he'd never stepped into the dinosaur world at all. Like it was all a crazy dream.

"What is this place Ty? How'd all this get here?" Kairyn then asked as he sidestepped a scientist who was far too interested in the tablet computer screen in his hand to even consider watching where he was going.

"It's one of Keltech's smaller lab bases. It was transported here using some… new tech," Tyronne replied. The pause in his sentence caught Kairyn's attention almost immediately.

"New tech?" he asked curiously.

"I… can't talk too much about it, but it has to do with some of the work Dad and his research teams were doing," Tyronne said.

"Is that with the black stuff that brought me here in the first place?" Kairyn asked.

"That's… classified I'm afraid Kai," Tyronne said rather rigidly.

"So you don't know then," Kairyn then shot jestingly.

"N-no! I do know!" Tyronne fired back, "I'm… just under orders not to say too much. Loose lips sink ships after all." Kairyn sniggered and Tyronne cracked a smirk of his own as he glanced back at his brother.

"It's all a huge experiment using some sophisticated technology. Crazy sci-fi stuff I don't think humans have ever tried before. I'm here as security," Tyronne explained.

"Uh-huh. So what's gonna happen with me now I'm here too?"

"Well, since you've been here a good while before we arrived, we're gonna need you to tell us what you've been up to."

Kairyn flinched, "You mean… like an interrogation?"

"Nah, not an interrogation," Tyronne said reassuringly, "think of it more like… a military scout relaying important intel back to headquarters. Colonel Schneider has set up a room for us to talk once I've shown you to the dormitories."

"What? Me and you are gonna talk?" Kairyn said sounding surprised.

"Yeah, why?" Tyronne said flatly.

"Sounds exactly like an interrogation to me," Kairyn said slyly.

"Oi! Watch it you! I can make it an interrogation if you want me to," Tyronne threatened with an evil smirk, "we've got plenty of ways of making a spy talk. Hell, want me to handcuff you and I can escort you around like a felon?"

"Do I get my rights read?" Kairyn giggled.

"Only your right to remain silent but I know how impossible a task that is for you and your loud mouth," Tyronne shot smugly. Kairyn punched his brother in the arm and the pair of them laughed.

"Consider it a blessing. You could have been talking to our leader, Schneider. That would be upright torture if he was firing the questions at ya. Just the air from the words he speaks feel like a punch in the face!" Tyronne said smiling and Kairyn beamed back.

As they rounded another corner, Kairyn noticed that the area had changed from the pristine and sterile walls of the laboratories into a military base of operations. Men and women in uniforms, all emblazoned with Keltech badges and emblems, were busy darting about relaying messages and reporting to senior staff. Rooms were bustling with so much activity, no one seemed to notice a casually dressed teenager walking in amongst them. Occasionally Kairyn caught the eye of someone but it wasn't for any longer than a blink before they returned to their duties. Tyronne led Kairyn down to the dormitories which Kairyn discovered were a network of rooms arranged like concrete cells opposite each other. Kairyn's mind flashed back to the collapsed building in the Forest of Fear he'd investigated. The likeness was quite striking, it was almost like déjà vu. Tyronne turned to a door and opened it.

"This is my bunk. It's nothing fancy but it comes with a bed and a few meals every day," Tyronne said as Kairyn stepped past him and into the tiny room.

"Cosy," Kairyn hummed sarcastically as he eyed the grey concrete walls. All that was present were two iron framed beds that looked about as comfortable to sleep on as rocky flints wrapped in barbed wire.

"Make yourself at home for a bit. I've gotta go check back with the Colonel. I'll be right back and come get ya," Tyronne said.

"Alright, thanks Ty," Kairyn replied. With that, Tyronne swung the door closed and it shut with a clunky metallic bang. Kairyn jumped onto the bed and bounced on it backside first (which he quickly regretted) before lying down to stare up at the flaky ceiling. He breathed a sigh of relief that he had finally been reunited back with his brother. Despite not feeling overly confident about being under a Keltech roof, the fact that Tyronne was there with him was some comfort.

It wasn't long before Tyronne returned. Kairyn sat up and looked at his brother who simply nodded out into the corridor. Without a word, Kairyn shuffled to the end of the bed and hopped down to the floor. Leading the pair of them back into the operations area, Tyronne ducked through the bustling mission control and briefing rooms to a small door away from the noisy drone of computers and militaristic voices trying to call over each other. Tyronne approached a console on the wall and held his ID card up to it. The console blipped and the door flew open effortlessly. Tyronne stepped to one side and offered his younger brother into the room. Kairyn walked into the claustrophobic little space. His footstep clapped and echoed in the tight room that was nothing more than a concrete box with a table and chairs thrown in. Tyronne signalled for Kairyn to sit in the chair opposite him across the table and Kairyn obliged.

"So… how does this work? You gonna hook me up to a lie detector or something? Pump me with some kinda truth serum to make sure I'm not screwing you over?" Kairyn said half smirking. Strangely enough, the confines of this room was actually making him feel a bit uneasy despite the fact his brother was the only other person in the room. It seemed like the nerves were making the jokes.

"Kai, you're not under trial and you're not an escaped convict. Drop the theatrics will you," Tyronne sighed. "You are just here to fill us in on what you've been up to since you went missing from Keltech a week ago. What you know about this area could significantly improve our chances of finding out what we need and getting back home."

"What is it that you are trying to find out exactly?" Kairyn asked innocently.

"That's… classified…" Tyronne slurred.

"Can't tell me? Or won't tell me?" Kairyn teased.

"Grow up will you Kai! Why've you always gotta act like such a little kid! Jeez! This isn't a game!" Tyronne snapped. "I can't tell you because it is classified information. I don't know all the details myself and what I do know could get me in trouble if leaked. Now if you don't mind, I'll stick to the questions. Just answer without the wise-ass comments thanks." Kairyn settled down finally taking in his brother's instructions. It wasn't his fault the smart remarks were flowing so readily. Something about the place rubbed him the wrong way and silly statements were the only way he could mask his nervousness.

Once the pair of them got down to discussing matters, the more Kairyn went on about how he'd been surviving out in the dinosaur world, the more Tyronne's face twisted with shock and awe. Everything from the disaster within Keltech back in the year 327NE, to being teleported to the prehistoric past, to all the adventures and daring escapes he'd made with Littlefoot and his friends. Tyronne leaned on the table rubbing his forehead.

"So, lemme get this straight. Since you've been here, you've been going around with a… dinosaur… called Littlefoot?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Kairyn said grinning from ear to ear. He was clearly enjoying watching his brother struggle under the sheer weight and complexity of what he was being told.

"And Littlefoot is… which one?" Tyronne paused to raid his smarting brain for the right answer through the cavalcade of overwhelming information he'd just received.

"Brontosaurus, I think. I dunno. They just call themselves longnecks; makes it a lot easier that way actually," Kairyn injected eagerly.

"Right… so you and his dinosaur friends trekked through: a canyon, a forest, over geyser fields, volcanoes, tar pits and climbed cliffs and mountains to get to the… erm…"

"Great Valley. It's where they all live together; them and their families. It's a paradise Ty, I can tell ya! Lots of different dinosaurs all together. Just like that movie from ages ago but… well, without the humans and the electric fences. Well, except for the carnivores that is," Kairyn piped in again.

Tyronne stopped and blinked at his brother, "…Right. And you've been living with… Littlefoot? In this 'Great Valley'?"

"Yeah! Spot on!" Kairyn chirped, "I doubt I would have survived a day without Littlefoot's help. Him and his friends anyway. Food, shelter, what's safe and what's not. Everything about being out here, I learned from them."

"And just how the hell do you communicate with a dinosaur?"

"Whad'dya mean how do I communicate?... I talk to them!"

"In what? Clicks and grunts?"

Kairyn rolled his eyes, "Like I'm talking to you now! You know? With words! They're not dumb animals ya know! They're really intelligent actually."

Tyronne threw his hands into the air in complete surrender, "What the hell! I… uhh… I give up! I…I honestly don't know what to say. This is unreal!"

"But it's the truth Ty, I swear it. Every last word," Kairyn said leaning over the table trying to stare into his brother's face which was currently buried in his hands. As Tyronne pulled and stretched his face with his fingers as they slid down his cheeks, he met Kairyn's eyes. He could see a fierce burning in them that told him that every utterance from Kairyn had been one hundred per cent genuine. He'd labelled his little brother a liar before but this time, his eyes were daring Tyronne to call him out.

"Guess I've got no other choice but to trust you on that," he said finally. Kairyn snorted and sat back, allowing the chair to fully support him again.

"If you don't believe me, just ask Melissa. She was living in the Valley with us too," he said flatly.

"Yeah we know. We found the both of you up in the mountainous areas not too far from here. The rescue squad brought you back here," Tyronne said.

"Rescue squad? Felt more like an abduction the way they rough-housed us. They knocked me out and next thing I know I'm locked up in a room like I've got some contagious virus!" Kairyn said sounding outraged. It was then that he thought of something.

"Hang on. How'd that squad know where we were anyway?" he asked curiously but Tyronne just shrugged.

"Beats me. I wasn't briefed on that operation. Heck, I haven't stepped outside of the base since we got here! All I heard was that two young kids, the professor's granddaughter and an unknown boy, had been retrieved. Once I heard, I took a chance on it being you and here we are." Kairyn nodded in acknowledgement. He felt he could trust in what his brother was saying but something about the whole situation of the rescue squad finding him and Melissa seemed a bit off. It just seemed a bit too – convenient.

The brother's continued their talk for a good while. Kairyn was happy to divulge everything that he'd learned and experienced whilst living in the Great Valley. He told Tyronne about Littlefoot and his friends' connection to another group of humans from another time period and what he'd discovered about the Chronos Doorway. As hard as it was to take in, Tyronne tried his best to keep up. But it was on the mention of one person in particular that suddenly caught his attention.

"The Black Ghost? He's here!" Tyronne said almost leaping out of his seat.

"Yeah. He was travelling with us for a while but he went crazy and disappeared part of the way. We met him again when we entered the Great Valley; already causing trouble. He's lurking somewhere around the Great Valley now I think. Whether he's in it or close by I don't know. He just seems to randomly appear when he wants to," Kairyn reported. Tyronne seethed and turned his head away. Clearly he had the same spite and hatred for the enigmatic figure as Kairyn did.

"Well, if he's here that must mean he's trapped here too," Tyronne said finding Kairyn's eyes again. "We can find him and bring that scumbag to justice for what he did."

"Good luck with that. We had him tied up to a tree but he still managed to escape somehow. He has strange powers; like… black magic or something."

"Black magic?"

"Yeah, he's really dangerous. But, he seems to be quite talkative with Littlefoot and Littlefoot seems to trust him for some reason," Kairyn said almost disgusted by the idea. "I can't see why. The guy's a dirty underhanded creep if you ask me."

"I'll have to talk to some higher-ups about him. Maybe we can sort something to bring him in," Tyronne said lost in a flurry of thoughts. "We've made contact with a strange creature back in Second London who claims he knows the Black…"

Suddenly, Tyronne stopped and flinched in reaction to something. Kairyn furrowed his brow as he saw his brother flick his right hand up and press his first two fingers into his right ear. He suddenly started having a conversation with himself.

"Yes?... Yes…Yes sir! Sorry about that… Roger that sir, I'll wrap things up now."

"Something wrong?" Kairyn asked as Tyronne's arm dropped back down to his side.

"No, nothing. Just a call coming in," Tyronne said quickly. "C'mon, our time's up. Let me escort you back to the dorms."

Kairyn didn't move right away. "What about what you were just saying? About a strange creature knowing…"

"Just! – Come on will ya?" Tyronne barked cutting him off in mid speech and signalling towards the door. Kairyn did as he was told and stood up slowly. He eyed his brother warily as Tyronne opened the door and ushered him outside.

Meanwhile, in a separate room, Colonel Schneider was standing over a control panel and watched the monitor as he saw Kairyn and Tyronne slide out of the room. With the room now empty, Schneider turned to a small console and tapped a few holographic keys instructing the running program to save its recording.

"Hmm… zeems like zee youngest Taylor boy has zeen zum action of his own," Schneider mumbled to himself. He then tapped a frequency code into a small device on his belt and pressed his fingers to his ear.

"Director Thorne. It's Schneider. I've got zee interrogation recorded and uploading it to your terminal now… Yah. Zee boy was very informative. Vot he lacked in supplying us in zee medical exam he was more zan helpful in telling us about zees place; its local surroundings and its inhabitants… I'm glad you agree. I figured letting zee boy talk with zee brother he thought he'd lost would prove more lucrative than having one of us do it… Nein. As var as Private Taylor is concerned he was just following orders. I doubt he has any idea. Although I did have to cut in when I thought he might give zee game away… Yes sir. I vill inform Professor Clements right away… Yes sir… Schneider out." As the static over the channel fell silent, Schneider exited the viewing room.

Meanwhile, Kairyn was sat on his rock hard bed staring at the wall in a sulk. Tyronne had just left and slammed the door behind him in a tantrum after the pair of them had had an argument.

"What? You want me to just sit in here all day?" Kairyn had wailed in protest. "What am I some kinda pet you're just gonna lock in the kitchen while you're at work? What the hell Tyronne!"

"Look Kai! You're on an R&D base engaging in sensitive research with a military security team tagging along. This isn't a nursery. You have to stay out of the way otherwise both of us will get it in the neck if you start making a nuisance of yourself," Tyronne bantered.

"But I won't though. Can't I just have a look around or something? Go outside and see where we are? You can't expect me to spend my entire time bolted up in this dank room!" Kairyn whined.

"Well, it's either here or the holding cells?" Tyronne offered sarcastically.

"I'm not sure which one's worse!" Kairyn shot back.

"Look, I'm sorry Kai. You can't be roaming around base. There's too much important work going on and you'll just get in the way. You just have to stay here for a while; keep a low profile."

"Damn it Tyronne; this isn't fair!"

"Stop acting like such a brat! This isn't about what's fair Kairyn!" Tyronne then exploded and Kairyn reeled back and sat on the bed. "You have been retrieved from out there and now you just have to sit your arse down and wait until we can get back home! Believe it or not, that's what the majority of us are doing right about now! That's all there is to it! There's nothing more to discuss!" With that, Tyronne slammed the door which reverberated through the room, rattling the metal frame of the bed. Kairyn swore at the back of the door and threw himself back onto the lumpy mattress. Given his treatment since he woke up inside this Keltech base, he'd almost started wishing that they had never found him to begin with.

It didn't take long for cabin fever to set in for Kairyn. The more he tried not to think about how cramped and suffocating the room was, the more his thoughts played on how grand the outside world seemed. Mental pictures of the Great Valley wavered temptingly before his mind's eye. He could see the majestic flow of the rivers and longed to explore the forests and fields that were warmed by the golden sunlight. Compared to everything outside, this box room was a prison. On top of everything else, Kairyn soon realised that the greater weight on his wandering mind was that he was lonesome. It sounded crazy given that he was on a base overflowing with people but none of them had even glanced at him. He felt more alone now than he ever did roaming around in the dinosaur world as one of only two human beings inhabiting it at the time. He missed Littlefoot and his friends. He was also worried about Melissa. He hadn't heard a word about her condition since he'd arrived and the uncertainty was burning in the back of his mind like an unbearable itch he just couldn't scratch.

Before he had even realised what he was doing, Kairyn was up on his feet, he'd cautiously opened the door and snuck out into the dormitory hallways which, to his relief, were empty. Kairyn thought that the majority of them were off working somewhere within the base. With the thought of Melissa being in trouble bubbling furiously within his conscience, he quickly shuffled his way deeper into the Keltech complex in the hope of finding her. Even if he could catch a glimpse of her in a recovery room at least he'd know she was safe. With that in mind, he made his way back to the medical wing.

Given the volume of people wandering around the base, Kairyn was surprised that hardly anyone seemed to take any notice of him as he skulked about. He tried his best to get around the place without being seen but everyone seemed so busy with what they were doing, Kairyn figured the only way he'd actually draw anyone's attention was if he were to literally shout and scream into the room. Even then, the noise of the bustling operations room of the security wing was so deafening, he'd have a hard time being heard anyway. The diegetic of the area changed once Kairyn found himself within the laboratories. The hallways were much quieter despite upholding a fair quantity of personnel. However, most of the labcoats operating in the area were tucked away in their laboratories that populated both sides of the corridor. It was here that Kairyn had discovered that he was completely lost. He had ducked and dived down so many random passages when he heard the pressurised hiss of a door about to open or the clapping footsteps of anyone but his own that he was completely disorientated. He knew that if he was spotted down here, he would be called out and be forcefully removed.

"Damn it!" Kairyn muttered under his breath, "where the hell is the medical wing? I'm sure Melissa must be there somewhere." He peered around the corner having ducked behind a large metallic crate dumped in a dead end. With the coast clear again, Kairyn slunk around the box, hugged the right wall and crouched underneath the window of the lab nearest him having just past the door. Crawling on his hands and knees to keep out of sight, he made it to the next T-junction and glanced around the corner. A cold shiver shot up his spine when a low hiss of air emanated from behind him. Like a frightened rabbit, Kairyn swung himself around the right corner and pressed his back as close as he could to the wall. He held his breath as two scientists came out into the corridor. They were in deep conversation.

"This is the purest batch yet. The distillation seemed to produce a much greater concentrate when applied under twenty-seven per cent pressure," one of the scientists exclaimed; a woman by the sound of the voice.

"I know. It was a bit of a risk but it looks like it paid off. At this rate we'll have enough dark matter to begin applications much earlier than scheduled," the second scientist agreed; a male voice this time. Kairyn felt his muscles tense as he heard the footfalls of the two scientists coming towards him. He snapped a glance to his right side but it was another dead end and no box to hide behind this time. Kairyn gritted his teeth and shrunk down as small as he could as the two labcoats approached. Then, to his horror, he heard the hiss and slide of another door.

"Oh please don't let them come down this way," Kairyn silently begged. Then, a few seconds later, the footsteps were gone and a door slid and locked into place. Unfurling slowly, Kairyn very cautiously inched up and peered through the lab window above him. The lab immediately behind him was empty and he could just see two figures ducked at workbench in the lab, just off to his left, on the opposite side of the corridor he had just sneaked down. Kairyn felt his chest slacken as he sighed with relief. Then, just as he was about to duck down again, his eye caught a glimpse of something in the lab window behind him. In the brilliant white room, completely contrasting the bland interior design, were rows and rows of some strange purple liquid in glass vials dotted in small metal racks around the room. The hue of the liquid was so deep it could have been mistaken to be black if the luminescent lighting of the room didn't hit it right. Kairyn narrowed his eyes at the vials. He had no idea what the liquid was but its deep tint seemed to jog a memory in the back of his mind for some reason. Shaking the thought loose, Kairyn then dropped back down to the floor having remembered where he was and what he was doing. With a quick dart across the open mouth of the corridor, Kairyn traversed to the other wall, under the lab the man and woman had just moved into, and scurried down the deserted hallway.

By now, Kairyn had been wandering aimlessly around the laboratories for a good while. He was amazed that he hadn't been spotted by anyone yet and was about to congratulate himself being some sort of super sneaking stealth agent when a door opened beyond a cross-section in front of him. Kairyn panicked. It was too far to get to the turn before anyone exited the lab and sprinting down the hall would only make too much noise. Kairyn threw himself into the wall but was amazed to find the solid surface suddenly disappeared a second later. Tumbling backwards and landing in a messy pile, Kairyn looked up from the floor and saw the door slide shut before him. Ignoring his smarting shoulder blades, Kairyn picked himself up and dusted himself off. To his fortune, the room he'd backflipped into was unoccupied but it was not empty. Glancing around Kairyn let out a tiny gasp. By the dry concrete walls and lack of colour, he could tell that it wasn't a laboratory; it was more like a storage room. There were a number of large metallic cylinders with a long, thin rectangular windows on their fronts stood vertically around the outer edge of the room. Each of them had a network of pipes attached to their sealed tops that burrowed into the walls in every which way Kairyn could see. Kairyn nervously walked up to one of the metallic vats and glanced through the rectangular slit. It was difficult to make out but it looked like dense wispy balls of soot floating around the container suspended in a deep purplish haze. The fumy atmosphere inside the cylinder looked toxic as stray sparks of neon purple zapped within the metallic walls. Kairyn took a step back as his mind burned again. The substance within the vat seemed to nagging him remember something.

"Is this…? This stuff was in the room where I found Littlefoot at Keltech Labs in the capital. This was the stuff in those glass tubes that teleported me to the dinosaur world after the Black Ghost smashed them open," Kairyn mumbled to himself. "What is this stuff? What're the scientists here doing with it?"

Just then, Kairyn froze solid as the door behind him flew open and a voice barked at his back.

"Hey! Who are you? What are you doing in here? You shouldn't be…" Before the man could finish his sentence, Kairyn was already in motion. In a flush of panic, Kairyn charged for the door completely disregarding the fact that the man in the lab coat was standing between him and the exit. The scientist was shunted backwards like he'd been hit by a speeding train and crashed into the wall outside in a heap. Kairyn shot out from the storage room and tore around to the left to double back the way he'd come. He could hear the man he'd shoulder-barged out of the way shouting at his back but he didn't care. He didn't care that every pair of eyes he'd so diligently tried to avoid having gotten this far into the labs were now staring through the windows at him as he sprinted blindly down the halls. One man jumped out from one of the labs on the right and tried to block his escape route. However, Kairyn ducked down to the left as the man made a lunge for him and shoved the man with both hands back into the room he'd emerged from.

Kairyn was running blind. He was so freaked out by being discovered, he hardly knew where he was scarpering to. It was like trying to escape a hornet's nest from the inside with so many turns and a mob of angry scientists giving chase behind him. Just when Kairyn thought he'd found a hallway he recognised, he rounded the corner in a mad rush only to clamped in place by two huge restraints that wrapped around him. Kairyn struggled and writhed but the binds were too strong. They were crushing him in a bearhug that was impossible to break out of.

"Zat's enough running around boy. You vill come vit me now," a strong grisly German-accented voice boomed down on him. Kairyn finally stopped thrashing and looked up at to the ceiling. Kairyn was aware that he was quite tall for his age but the man that had hold of him was enormous. His eyes were cold and piercing as they glared down on him like a beast eyeing freshly captured prey.

"Oh Colonel Schneider, you caught him. Thank God," one of the pursuing scientists said breathlessly having only just caught up.

"That little brat was snooping around the production area. What the hell was he doing roaming down here?" another red-faced scientist shot hotly.

"Yes… why indeed," Schneider said slowly still gazing down on Kairyn who seemed to shrink under the weight of his stare. "Not to worry. I vill escort our young friend here back to the security department where he vill be questioned on his action. Please return to your stations."

The gabble of flushed scientists disbanded returned to their labs as Schneider inched his arms lower down Kairyn's torso. To Kairyn's amazement, the huge man hoisted him off the floor effortlessly and held him under his arm like a living newspaper.

"Wha? Hey! Wait! Wait a minute! Put me down! I wasn't – " Kairyn flapped but the colonel didn't even flinch.

"Quite zee troublesome little boy aren't you," Schneider said sounding amused, "we'll have to find zum other means of keeping you in line." Kairyn struggled and flailed in the clutch of the colonel but there was nothing he could do. Defeated, Kairyn fell limp as the beast of a man stomped back through the base. He swallowed hard at the thought of what might be in store for him now.


	35. From the Shadows

Chapter 34: From the Shadows

"What the HELL did you think you were doing?! Were you thinking at all?!" Tyronne screamed at Kairyn who was sat slumped in the same chair in the same interrogation room he and his brother had not long left earlier that day. Tyronne was livid when he heard from one of his other colleagues that a kid had been caught snooping around the research wing of the base. He had flown from his station in the communications room to the cells, first of all, but was redirected to the interrogation rooms. There, Tyronne pretty much dropkicked the door open and saw his little brother sat looking rather sheepish. The bursting of the door as it flew inwards made him jump.

"Is it so utterly impossible for you to keep your arse still and actually LISTEN for once! I told you to stay in the dorm and everything would be fine. What the hell were you doing roaming the halls after I specifically said NOT to?" Tyronne exploded.

It took a second or two for Kairyn to find his voice, "I… I wasn't roaming around. I was looking for Melissa. I… I wanted to know if she was alright."

"That's no excuse Kai! Areas are restricted for good reason! Who found you anyway?"

"Some roided-up giant guy with a weird accent. Picked me up like a suitcase," Kairyn muttered flatly. Tyronne's eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open like a loose drawer.

"You're kidding? Schneider found you?! Oh God! Oh crap! Why'd it have to be Schneider of all people?" he wailed. Kairyn looked at his brother; puzzled by the fear in could detect his voice.

"Schneider? Who's that?" Kairyn said naively. Tyronne looked across at him like Kairyn had uttered the stupidest question in the world. Before he could answer, the pair of them heard the guard posted outside the door shuffle and call the name of the very man they were just talking about. Tyronne spun on his heels, bolted uncomfortably upright and saluted as the giant man squeezed in through the doorway and into the room.

"Err… Colonel Schneider! Sir!" Tyronne piped but Kairyn could still hear a nervous twinge in the words as he spat them out.

"Taylor," Schneider acknowledged calmly before turning to Kairyn. Every muscle in his body locked stone cold rigid as Kairyn found the colonel's eyes boring into his own.

"So? Zees is zee youngest son of zee great Provessor Stephen Taylor," Schneider slurred as he stepped towards him. "Given my respect vor zee man I must zay I'm a little shocked. I vould have expected his sons to be a little more… disciplined…" Kairyn suddenly felt the dimensions of the room warp and shrink as Schneider eclipsed the light hanging from the ceiling. He heard the colonel snort before turning back into the room and sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the table. It creaked painfully as if it were screaming under the man's weight.

"Now zen, vould you be so kind as to explain why you vere seen in an area of zee base zat is off limits to zose without clearance?" Schneider asked tunelessly. Kairyn felt his lips quiver. They wouldn't seem to open to answer the question.

"You must have had your reasons. Otherwise you wouldn't have been zere," Schneider pressed.

"Colonel Schneider, please sir. He was instructed to stay in the bunks but he…" Tyronne broke in quickly but Schneider threw up his nearest hand and instantly silenced him.

"I'm sure your bruzher can answer for himself. Zere is no need to speak vor him," Schneider said without raising his tone. All the while, he never took his eyes off Kairyn who still looked shell-shocked by his presence. "Vell?"

Unsure of where the words were coming from, Kairyn managed to squeak out a reply, "I uhh… I was trying to… to find my friend. M-Melissa? You-you rescued her… along with me up in the mountains… err sir."

"And so, you sought to find her despite not knowing vhere she was? You do realise zat you infiltrated a restricted area of zee base? Even zum of our security staff have not been in zose quarters."

"Y-yes sir. I'm sorry," Kairyn replied ruefully. He dipped his head so to break the cold stare of the colonel's eyes that were still on him.

"Please sir, he won't do it again! I'll make sure of it!" Tyronne jumped in but Schneider threw him the back of his hand again.

"In all honesty…" he started. Kairyn cringed waiting for the verbal eruption to pummel him into the ground. "…I must zay zat I am zumwhat impressed." Kairyn and Tyronne both jolted. They snapped a bewildered glance up at Schneider, then at each other, then back to Schneider again. Their expression said it all. Did they just hear him right?

"Err… beg your pardon Colonel?" Tyronne stammered.

"I am impressed. A spirited young boy with concerned vor a friend is driven to seek her out without regard vor his own safety. In zat, he was able to sneak into a restricted area of a fully manned base, quite deeply in fact, und managed to avoid detection. I was quite surprised to catch you vhere you vere. You appear to be quite enabled in looking out vor yourself, young Taylor."

Kairyn couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was being praised for trespassing in clearance required areas of the base? Was this guy mad?

"In fact, I have come to speak with you regarding a matter I think you can assist with young Taylor," Schneider then said leaning forward. "We are aware zat you have spent a considerable amount of time out in zis wilderness. I hate to admit zat we are at zumwhat of a disadvantage since we do not know the surroundings or how zis strange land functions. You however have had first-hand experience with zee land as well as its flora and fauna. You know vot and vhere is dangerous and how best to survive without having to resort to destruction. We are in a very delicate situation and you, young Taylor, are zee best man vor zee job."

"I- I don't understand. What job?" Kairyn babbled completely thrown.

"To act as surveillance for us, young Taylor," Schneider said proudly. "You could zupply us with intel in hours zat a whole scout team vould take days to collect. We vant you to go out zere and be our eyes and ears on zee ground. Do you zink you could do zat vor us?"

Words failed Kairyn again. He was pretty much being given a golden ticket to head back into the Great Valley and be reunited with Littlefoot and his friends. Even better, he had links to the world of humanity again if he could come back to the base to report his findings. A win-win situation. The best of both worlds.

"But… how would I stay in contact with you?" Kairyn asked.

"Our only means of ranged communication is radio. It's a bit ancient but it works. You'd be fitted with a radio device that vould link you straight to the communications room at zee base," Schneider told him, "you could even call in a support team if you vere in any danger."

"Won't you be worried that I'd just run away or something?" Kairyn asked openly.

"Und vhy vould you do zumthing like zat? We are vorking on a means of getting back home. Vould you not vant to be part of zat?" Kairyn sat back and hummed. He was beginning to think that this was all too good to be true but it was an opportunity too good to pass up. Just the thought of getting back to Littlefoot and the Great Valley was already making him fidgety as the excitement started bubbling up in his stomach.

"What about Melissa? Where is she?" Kairyn asked.

"Do not worry about her. She is in zee care of her grandfather and is doing fine. I give you my word on zat," Schneider said carefully. He watched Kairyn intently as the boy thought it over.

"Alright, I'll do it," Kairyn said finally trying his best to keep composed. He didn't want his emotions to give him away.

"Wunderbar! Zank you young Taylor. You vill be a great help to our cause," Schneider chirped.

"I do have a request however," Kairyn then said. In the corner of his eye, he could see Tyronne's face turn pale as if Kairyn were courting the devil by trying to open negotiations with the colonel.

"Vot is it boy? Speak."

"My Minicom and the yellow gemstone. I know you took them from me when you found me. Can I have them back? They are important to me," Kairyn said, his tone stony.

Schneider paused for a moment, "I'll see vot I can do. In zee meantime, you are to get kitted up. You vill leave as zoon as you are ready. Taylor!"

"Err… yes sir!" Tyronne bolted straight again when he realised that Schneider was now talking to him.

"You vill be in charge of overseeing your bruzher's actions both at base and in zee field. Vonce he is ready you vill escort him to his desired destination. You vill be acting as first response should any complications arise. Understood?"

"Sir! Thank you sir!" Tyronne barked obediently.

"Okay zen. I vill enquire about your possessions young Taylor. I vill meet you both at the entrance vonce you are prepared," Schneider said. And with that, he gave both brothers a nod before exiting the room.

Kairyn released the stagnant air locked in his chest in a forced puff. He glanced over at Tyronne who pretty much was doing the same. They felt like they had just been battling some sort of monster and only just escaped by a hair. Once they had recomposed themselves, still barely believing they'd both managed to come out the other side with their skin intact, they made their way down the corridor to get Kairyn equipped.

Fifteen minutes later, Kairyn and Tyronne were standing by the entrance way to the base. Kairyn had been given a radio transmitter that he could fit in his pocket and a wireless microphone that looped behind his ear. It was hidden but wasn't invisible on close enough inspection. Tyronne was going over how to make and receive calls when they saw Colonel Schneider approaching. Tyronne snapped upright and Kairyn, unsure of the appropriate protocol, mimicked his brother. Schneider reminded Kairyn of his role and handed over a tightly wrapped package. Taking it, Kairyn tore it open and gleamed. Inside were his Minicom and the Angel's Amethyst which he quickly stuffed into his pockets.

"Remember. You are part of zee Keltech Security Team now young Taylor; a field agent. You report only to us und are not to share our information with anyone else, understood?"

"Yes sir," Kairyn said as sharply as he could.

"Private Taylor, vonce you have securely delivered young Taylor to zee destination, you are to return here und keep the channel of communication open, got it?"

"Copy that sir!" Tyronne replied inching a bit taller.

"Right zen men, good luck out zere!" Schneider said saluting. Kairyn and Tyronne did the same as the security gate slid open and the thick metallic door leading out into the land of dinosaurs slowly slipped upwards. They turned to face the slow rolling door. Kairyn had to shield his eyes from the intense brightness outside. All the while, a nervous excitement was pulsing through him shooting up and down his limbs so quickly it made his fingers and toes tingle. As the door finally granted enough headroom to walk outside, Kairyn turned and looked at his brother who had just picked up an assault rifle of some description. With a smile and a nod from Tyronne, Kairyn swallowed and stepped outside.

The air was like a life-giving elixir. Kairyn closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He felt the sweet scented breeze rush and pour into him, filling his body with vigour. It felt so good to be outside again. Tyronne ushered Kairyn up a slope. Looking back down as they climbed, Kairyn saw that the base was in a deep recess carved into the mountainside. It was protected on all sides by a semi-circular, concave wall of rock that stretched above like a looming figure. The only real way to storm the base would be through the front which was laced with checkpoints and lookout posts all with armed guards stationed there. A foolish action to take given how many people were inside. What struck Kairyn most of all was how relatively small the base looked. It was only a single storey and didn't take up much space but its interior seemed like a labyrinth. Flicking the thought from his mind, he hurried the last few steps to catch up to his brother.

It didn't take long for Kairyn and Tyronne to make it back to the spot where the Keltech team had recovered him and Melissa. They had scrambled up and over a huge pile of tightly compacted collapsed rockery and boulders and stood at the top of it. Off to their right was the Chronos Doorway still stood proud and tall amongst the dusty dugout it sat in. Tyronne explained that some of the team had come through the Doorway previously and they scouted the area to find a good location for the Keltech base. But when Kairyn asked about how he got there, Tyronne couldn't answer him.

"All I know is that the labcoats were able to make a portal big enough to transport the whole mobile base. I don't know the finer details," Tyronne shrugged. Kairyn nodded before facing forwards again.

"Which way from here Kai?"

"The path's over there. We have to follow the mountain trail a bit before we get to the lookout. The Great Valley is a little further on," Kairyn said pointing to the ground that curved around behind the mountains. With that, the pair of them slid down the rocky pile and hopped to the ground kicking up dirty clouds as they landed. With a quick glance up to the mighty silvery ring of the Chronos Doorway, the pair of them pressed on. Replaying the events leading up to his capture, Kairyn found retracing his steps to be quite easy. He was surprised at the amount he had managed to retain since coming here considering he always found himself pretty useless with a map.

"Whoa! Would you look at that! It's amazing!" Tyronne breathed as they reached the lookout and he scanned the luscious green horizon.

"That's just from up here. Wait until you get down into it. You ain't seen nothing yet," Kairyn said smirking. "Come on! Quit gawking! We just follow this little trail down and we're in the Valley." Kairyn took the lead as he descended down in the Great Valley again. By this stage, it was almost impossible for him to hide the explosive energy buzzing inside. He couldn't wait to see Littlefoot again and he hoped that the young longneck would be as pleased to see him.

As they got closer to the grassy fields, Kairyn couldn't help but pick up the pace. The meadow was deserted but Kairyn was just pleased to finally be somewhere he recognised. Before Tyronne had even caught up with him, Kairyn was off like a shot and dashed into the trees in search of his friends. Having clawed through row after row of thick bushes, Kairyn finally found a gathering of dinosaurs in a clearing with a stream running past them. He scanned the crowd for anyone familiar from within the leaves when Tyronne dropped in beside him.

"You mind letting me know when you're gonna run off?" Tyronne muttered but Kairyn ignored him. "Who are you looking for?" Before he received an answer, Kairyn let out an elated little gasp and broke cover to dash out into the clearing. Tyronne reached out for him but sighed as he saw Kairyn sprinting away.

Just in the distance, congregated around the edge of the flowing stream, Kairyn could see all five of his friends just by the water. The ecstatic feeling was just too great to supress as he made a beeline for them.

"Guys! Hey guys? It's me! I'm back!" Kairyn yelled at the top of his lungs. It took them a couple of seconds to register but the first one to turn around was Spike. He began hopping up and down yelping to the others.

"Oh lookie! It is Kairyn! It is, it is!" Ducky called as she leapt out of the water. Littlefoot, Cera and Petrie all turned and glared with wide eyes.

"I don't believe it! Kairyn's alright!" Littlefoot gasped. He was about to take a step to gallop towards his friend but he stopped when a giant leg stood directly in front of him. Littlefoot looked up as a number of other adult dinosaurs pounded forward to make a wall between him and Kairyn.

On seeing the barrier of fully grown dinosaurs form in front of Littlefoot and his friends, Kairyn skidded to a stop. His beaming smile faded as he read the stern glaring faces gazing down on him. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they were shielding the younger ones from him.

"What are you doing here human?!" a voice bellowed from the left side. Kairyn looked over and saw that Cera's father had taken up a strong defensive pose that could transform into a raging charge at a moment's notice.

"I err… I came back. I was captured and…" Kairyn replied nervously but was cut off.

"Who ever said we wanted you back in our home?" Cera's father shot indignantly. Kairyn could almost feel the rush of wind from the triceratops' mouth blast him in his face. He began searching desperately for his friends who were lost in the forest of giant legs. He felt helpless looking up at mighty giants since not a single face seemed to offer a welcoming gesture. Then, Kairyn felt a little relieved when he saw Littlefoot's grandfather emerge from out of the crowd and took a thundering few steps towards him.

"Kairyn, we are glad you are safe but you must understand. Many dinosaurs here are concerned that humans are hidden somewhere around the Great Valley," Grandpa Longneck explained, "we have had some troubles in the past with humans invading the Valley so forgive us for seeming a little unfriendly about your return."

"It's okay Grandpa Longneck. I've met up with them. They were the ones who captured me; they thought I was in danger. They were just trying to protect Melissa and me," Kairyn said. It was then he saw a network of heads pop out from behind the trunk thick legs and he smiled inwardly.

"We told the grown-ups that you were taken away by humans and we didn't know where you'd gone," Littlefoot said managing to wriggle his way to the front of the barrier. He sounded guilty for what he's just said. "We didn't want to start a panic but we had to say something."

"It's alright Littlefoot. It's all a bit of a misunderstanding. I know some of the humans and they're not here to harm you," Kairyn said but it didn't seem to win the crowd over.

"Then what are you here for? Why do you keep pestering us?" Cera's father growled. Some of the other dinosaurs joined in with heated chants and angry bellows. Kairyn swallowed hard. He couldn't answer that question yet it was obviously the most pressing.

"I can assure you that we have no intention of harming any of you," a voice then said from behind him. Kairyn whirled around to see Tyronne walking over, his rifle angled across his body but not raised. A chorus of gasps went up as he strolled over.

"Another human!" Cera's dad grumbled. Now he really did look ready to charge.

"Yes. We are conducting research of a very delicate nature. We used some old technology that was left here and are currently based just beyond the mountains of your home. What we intend will have no impact on your lives here I assure you," Tyronne said calmly. Kairyn was amazed at his composure but he guessed it was his training kicking in.

"And who are you?" a male iguanodon asked from somewhere in the crowd.

"My name is Tyronne Taylor. I am a member of the Keltech security team at the base here. I am also Kairyn's older brother." The gang all gave a gasp of astonishment on hearing this.

"You must forgive us Tyronne Taylor," Grandma Longneck said bending down to converse with him, "we do not fully understand the manner in which humans work and speak. Can you explain what it is you intend to do?"

"As I said madam, we are looking into some knowledge and information that has led us here. All we intend is to carry out our research and return home. However, things became complicated when Kairyn and another girl, Melissa, were transported here by accident," Tyronne said formally.

"Melissa? Is she okay Kairyn?" Ducky then asked as she and Spike edged forward.

"She's fine Ducky. She's at the Keltech base," Kairyn said. He smiled when he saw her eyes light up with relief.

"After finding Kairyn and Melissa, we felt it would be wise if he were to come back to fill you in on our activities so that you did not feel uneasy about our presence here. Since Kairyn has already spent some time with you, he has been helping us to better understand your homeland and, in turn, we thought he would act as a good intermediary between us and you, keeping both sides informed of the other's actions so not to cause distress."

"So you want Kairyn to stay with us here so that he can tell us what you are doing?" Grandma Longneck asked.

"That is correct ma'am. With Kairyn posted here, he could also inform us of any issues that arise and our squads would look to protect you and your home," Tyronne continued.

"Who said we ever wanted YOUR help human!" Cera's father bellowed.

"Well, if you decline then we can leave you alone. However, we could not guarantee what we are performing may not cause alarm or interrupt your daily lives."

"Is that a threat human?" Mr Threehorn muttered. He was now tugging at the ground.

"Not at all sir. I am just saying that it would be in the interest of both parties if Kairyn remained with you. He will communicate with us back at base and we can relay messages to him via radio, and…"

"Basically, I can fill you in on what's happening," Kairyn cut in fearing the technobabble was going to lose them the little ground they had gained. The crowd of dinosaurs began to mumble amongst themselves granting Kairyn and Tyronne a brief moment to whisper to each other.

"Are you sure about this Ty? Offering them protection if things go wrong? Filling them in on the research of the base? You said you didn't know anything about the research going on in there," Kairyn said behind a hand.

"I don't but we've gotta tell them something otherwise you'll never get to act as our field agent here," Tyronne muttered back. "Besides, I'm only using what Schneider said so it's not like I'm lying to them or anything." Kairyn nodded as the group turned back to the Taylor brothers.

In the end, it was agreed that Kairyn was to stay in the Great Valley under the careful watch of the elders. And so the fragile verbal contract between the humans of Keltech and dinosaurs of the Great Valley was established. It was obvious that not everyone was happy with the idea, but for the sake of the peace it was a necessary evil to have to abide with. Much to Littlefoot's delight, his grandparents had permitted Kairyn to stay with them for the duration of his stay and neither two boys could have been happier. After a brief recap on the radio, Tyronne was due to head off back to the Keltech base.

"So remember. To make a call, set the channel and then assign the frequency. The frequency for the comms room is one four zero, point eight five," Tyronne explained. "When we want to contact you, the headset will beep. Incoming transmissions will directly stimulate the small bones of your ear. No one but you will be able to hear it."

"Got it!" Kairyn nodded.

"Oh… and I better give you my frequency just in case. It's one four one, point five two. That will bring you directly through to me. Call me if trouble flairs up or say you spot someone shifty roaming about the place." Kairyn understood what his brother meant and nodded again silently. With that, Tyronne headed back to base the way he came in.

Meanwhile, back at the Keltech base, one of the security team was busy receiving a transmission. With a quick nod, he closed the channel and punched in another frequency.

"Schneider here, vot is it?" a hollowed voice replied after a few seconds. Even over the airwaves, the colonel's voice still sounded imposing.

"Sir, we just received word that Private Taylor has escorted his brother into the dinosaurs' home ground. He's returning to base now," the operator reported.

"Gud. Be sure to keep young Taylor's channel open at all times. All communications are to be logged and sent to my terminal as und ven zay come in," Schneider's voice demanded.

"Roger that sir," the operator replied before signing off.

Schneider dropped his hand from his right ear and clicked his radio off before turning back to Director Thorne and Professor Clements.

"So our new recruit has been posted has he? Good. I'm sure he'll be of great use acting as a go-between for us and those monstrous lizards," Thorne said pushing his floating glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"It was the smartest move to make. If we can build a sense of trust zen they are likely not to interfere with our affairs," Schneider said.

"I still find it fascinating that these creatures are able to communicate in the same manner as us. I would have called the boy delusional if Melissa had not told me the same thing," Professor Clements said turning from his terminal to face the other two men standing in his lab.

"So her feedback was unhindered then?" Thorne asked and the professor nodded.

"A few injuries but nothing I can't patch up. It seems as though the transportation to this world did cause some internal damage. The shielding wasn't strong enough when she passed through the portal and some corruption has settled in," the old man said.

"We vill need her back out zere as zoon as possible. I don't illicit much faith in the Taylor boy being out zere on his own. Too emotional to be completely focused on his mission," Schneider said sternly.

"Yes, it would also be to our benefit to have her back the boy up. The contact she has made with these reptiles will definitely prove fruitful, especially in scouting the area for more of these Red Phoenix artefacts," Thorne said almost chuckling.

"Let's not forget that Stephen's boy has dug up some interesting documents and files himself. The data on his Minicom was the best find we've had for months. Personnel records, data streams, molecular models, simulation files, energetics reports. It was a digital gold mine," Professor Clements exclaimed.

"Yes, and some interesting facts on those energy stones. Maybe soon we can finally discover their locations and get our hands on the others ones," Thorne said now smiling.

"Yes, but lest we forget we are still no closer to breaking Stephen's codes on his work. All we know is that the yellow gemstone his son is holding is linked to those others stones in some way. There must be someone who knows about it. If we knew that, then it would render Stephen's research redundant," Clements continued. Thorne hummed thoughtfully for a moment.

"Zee boy did mention zat zee Black Ghost was around the area zumvhere and zat he was quite chatty with zee one juvenile dinosaur called Littlefoot. It was confirmed zat zees 'Littlefoot' was the same subject Clifford's team extracted back on April nineteenth."

"Yes and we know he is one of the stone holders. Perhaps our long-necked friend has a secret that could aid in the discovery of the other two stones. We'll have to coax it out of him somehow but now is not the time. It's too early to start muscling in on the locals just yet," Thorne said. "Still, our pieces are set; it's just a matter of playing the waiting game now. How is production of the dark matter going?"

Professor Clements turned to his screen and tapped on the glowing holographic keyboard.

"Production is steady and the concentration of serum has increased. We're able to make greater quantities now that the efficiency of the incubation stage has more than doubled. At this rate, we'll have inoculation of the troops occurring within days. Current testing hasn't been efficient but it has been favourable," Clements reported. Thorne smiled again but Schneider offered a lowly grumble.

"Well played gentlemen. Before long we'll have everything we need to put the grand scheme in motion," Thorne said proudly. He turned to the back of the room and gazed up at a large glass cylinder positioned against the wall. He smiled as he watched the sleeping young girl with long flowing blonde hair floating in the colourless liquid. Wires were attached to her naked body and she had a breathing mask fitted over her nose and mouth.

"How much longer before she's ready to go back out there?" Thorne asked.

"Won't be for a good few hours yet. I need to make sure that the corruption doesn't spread any further. If she dies out there then everything will be lost so I'm not taking any risks," Clements barked back.

"Fine. Let me know when things can get underway. For now, we'll just have to keep tabs on Taylor's youngest son and hope he can deliver," Thorne said turning to the lab door. The hydraulics hissed and the door zipped to one side allowing Thorne and Schneider out into the corridor before sliding shut behind them.

Out in the Great Valley, Kairyn had wasted no time in getting reacquainted with his friends. He told them all about what had happened to him when they were forcefully parted up by the Great Wall and his role as a field agent for Keltech. Despite Melissa not being with him, he assured them that she was in good hands and was recovering well. A warm sense of relief rolled through Littlefoot's mind and body like a lapping wave. Kairyn had only been missing for around half of the day but his nerves had been frayed every minute the boy had been out of his sight. It soothed his troubled heart to finally have him back again.

What little light was left of the day quickly evaporated as the evening air cooled and the blushing red skyline deepened into shades of indigo. Littlefoot and his friends parted ways for the night and trotted alongside Kairyn as they made their way back to his home. Kairyn was so grateful that Littlefoot's grandparents had so readily agreed to give him a place to stay he began to think of them as carers of his own. Their kind and caring nature rivalled that of his own mother and father who didn't seem to give him half the attention Grandma and Grandpa Longneck did. Once they reached their nesting place, Littlefoot took his usual spot in the little pit in the cool grass while Kairyn clambered up into the petrified tree and made himself comfortable in amongst the cage of branches. The two elderly longnecks wished them a pleasant night before settling down themselves a little distance away. Littlefoot and Kairyn were too buzzed to sleep and stayed up talking for what seemed like hours until finally they could feel tiredness starting to grip them.

"Kairyn? How long do you think the humans will stay here for?" Littlefoot asked as he yawned.

"I dunno. I suppose once they find what they're looking for then they'll probably look to return back to the New Era," Kairyn said stifling a yawn of his own. "I can't say for sure how long that'll take. Heck, I don't even know what it is they are looking for."

"Maybe you'll find out soon?" Littlefoot asked.

"I hope so. I have to say I'm a little sceptical about what goes on in that place," Kairyn said softly, "I just hope they don't do anything stupid. I'd hate to see a place this beautiful to be tainted by them."

"Well, whatever happens, I'm glad you are here Kairyn," Littlefoot then said.

Kairyn paused for a moment as the words sunk in, "Glad to be here Littlefoot. Truly…" He leaned over the side of his tree and gazed down on Littlefoot but he could see that the young longneck was already fast asleep. Smiling, Kairyn rolled back up and in minutes, he too was lost to his dreams.

Littlefoot's night wasn't as restful as he would have liked. His mind was flickering fast and furious with strange images he couldn't make sense of and it soon broke his sleeping pattern. Inching his eyes open slowly, Littlefoot squinted in the darkness. Not a shred of daylight was visible. Littlefoot huffed and dropped his head down into the grass where the blades tickled as they brushed gingerly against the end of his nose. Suddenly, Littlefoot craned his neck up on hearing an odd rustling sound coming from the surrounding foliage. His eyes were still adjusting to the darkness but Littlefoot was sure he could hear something moving about in the undergrowth. He looked up and back and saw that Kairyn was still fast asleep in his tree. Not wanting to wake him, Littlefoot slowly got up and stretched the cold muscles in his legs. He flinched when the bushes off to his right rustled and twitched as if a phantom had brushed past them. Nervously, Littlefoot crept forward and into the bushes. He had no idea what he was following, or if he were following anything at all and was beginning to think that maybe the wind was playing tricks on him. That's when a thick bunch of leaves wavered quite deliberately just off to his left hand side. Littlefoot was now sure. Something was definitely sneaking around. Feeling his blood pulsing rapidly at his temples, Littlefoot cautiously crept towards the plant which was still shaking slightly.

The row of shrubbery soon came to an end and Littlefoot found himself edging out toward one of the fields that was now empty. Littlefoot knew that any migrating herds or Far-walkers would have taken to areas close to the river which left the pastures used for grazing deserted at night. Littlefoot froze when he saw the silhouette stood hunched just beyond the bordering hedges. It stood upright, on two legs with its back to him and seemed to twitch erratically every so often. The figure was completely black and was nearly invisible in the dark of the night. Littlefoot cautiously snuck forward and approached the figure from behind quietly.

"Black Ghost?" he whispered, "Black Ghost is that you? What are you doing here?" Littlefoot stopped dead in his tracks when the figure froze and slowly stood up a little taller. It then turned on the spot to face him and Littlefoot gasped.

"Y-you… you're not… the Black Ghost…" he whimpered in horror. The creature was jet black from head to toe but it did not appear to be wearing what the humans called clothes. It stood hunched and squat, its feet unnaturally elongated and its fingers were long, slender and narrowed to a point like claws. Littlefoot stared fearfully at the creature featureless face that was like a large black ball with long black vines snaking out of its bald head like vines down its back. It had no nose but two beady yellow eyes like glass marbles were stuck to its head. Its stare was blank and soulless. Littlefoot felt his legs quivering but that was all they would do. He was glued to the point unable to look away from the creature in front of him.

"Wh- what are you?" Littlefoot uttered fretfully. The creature did not respond with words. Instead, it ducked down about half a foot and held its spindly arms out to adopt a much more threatening pose. Littlefoot's blood flashed cold when he saw the yellow beads in its head cloud over and filled red like a dye diffusing into the jelly of its eyeballs. Then, the creature darted forward and leapt at Littlefoot, its claws raised to strike a lethal blow. His body was rigid and refused to move. All Littlefoot could do was scream as the attack came in.


	36. Knowing the Enemy

Chapter 35: Knowing The Enemy

The movement was swift and marked to deal damage. The little black shadowy creature was airborne, its sharpened fingertips aimed right for Littlefoot's throat. A single flick could end it all in a blink. But the attack was telegraphed perfectly: the threatening stance; the erratic movement; and the red fogging of its eyes. All Littlefoot had to do was shift out of the way to dodge the swipe but he was so gripped by shock and fear that his quivering body refused to budge from the spot he was on. He simply watched as it came flying towards him, getting closer and closer to his jugular that was throbbing intensely. It was only the rustle of the bushes behind him that broke his hypnotised stare.

Something leapt out from Littlefoot's blindside and shot past his face with incredible speed. It was so fast he could feel the rush of the air brush his right cheek. It collided with the creature in mid-air with a bone cracking smack and sent it reeling back the way it came in a mad spin. The counterattack forced Littlefoot to blink a few times before he could focus on what had just saved him as his rescuer landed on the grass just beside him.

"Black Ghost?" Littlefoot babbled in awe.

"Now that's just plain rude! Don't insult me like that!" a young voice replied smugly amongst sharp exhales.

Littlefoot's eyes widened, "Kairyn?!"

Kairyn was standing slightly breathless. Without a fraction of a thought, he had burst out from behind Littlefoot, from the undergrowth, and caught the incoming creature with a flying kick at the peak of its flight. The flat of his trainers landed square in the creature's exposed torso and it catapulted backwards to land in a messy heap a few metres away.

"You alright?" Kairyn then said turning to Littlefoot. Although startled, he nodded. "I woke up and saw you weren't in your bed. Then I heard movement in the plants so I followed you." Kairyn then turned back to the creature as it started to right itself.

"Just what the hell is that thing?"

"I don't know. I heard something moving around in the bushes close to home so I followed the sound," Littlefoot explained. "I found it just standing here in the field."

"Where'd come from?" Kairyn quickly followed up.

"I don't know! It was just here!" Littlefoot piped exasperatedly. He flinched when he saw the shadowy monster spin on its heels and turn to face them again. Kairyn and Littlefoot gritted their teeth as it looked like it was going to attempt another attack. The monster ducked and flicked out its claws again. It came in low this time and went for their chests.

"Littlefoot! Look out!" Kairyn yelled as he hopped to the right. Littlefoot mirrored him and took a wide jump to the left as the little shadowy creature came up between them with its striking hand outstretched as if it were trying to snatch at their hearts. Littlefoot snapped a glance over at Kairyn when he suddenly heard him shout aloud. To his surprise, Kairyn was rushing at the creature. His left arm came swinging around at high speed, a thick branch clasped in his hand. The blow caught the creature in its mid-riff and forced it back a good few feet.

The creature dug its feet into the ground and tore up the grass as it slid. It then leapt backwards as Kairyn came charging in with an overhead swing with his makeshift weapon. With a quick follow up, Kairyn thrust the blunt end of the stick at the creature's formless face but it ducked the attack and leapt up underneath his arm. Kairyn flinched as he soon found the monster three inches from his face. The next thing he knew he was on his backside as it pounced on him and toppled him over with a powerful, two-footed dropkick to his stomach. Kairyn cringed as his gut ached from the blow. Trying his best to ignore the pain, Kairyn had just about gotten to his feet again when the creature came for him. It leapt up high, its claws poised to slice down on him vertically. Without a moment to think, Kairyn instinctively raised his wooden stick and held it up to meet the claw swipe at a perpendicular angle. The force of the strike was immense. It cleaved through the branch and it erupted into splinters in his hand.

"Crap!" Kairyn squealed as he was disarmed. Still reeling, Kairyn stumbled back a step as the monster then made a lunge for him.

At that moment, a long appendage swept in and bashed the creature square in the face, knocking it away like a bat hitting a ball. Grateful to have his personal space clear again, Kairyn looked over at Littlefoot as he completed his spin, his tail offering an intimidating 'whoosh' as it cut through the air.

"Kairyn! Are you okay?" he asked fretfully.

"Yeah! Thanks for the rescue!" Kairyn said breathless but smiling. They both looked on as the shadowy figure rolled up to standing again and looked ready for another go.

"Uhh! What's it gonna take to beat this thing? It just keeps coming!" Kairyn grumbled.

"It doesn't even look hurt," Littlefoot exclaimed as the little shadow fidgeted and eyed them curiously.

"Must be a glutton for punishment," Kairyn scowled. "Heads up! Here it comes again!"

The creature came barrelling in again and showed no signs of slowing. Littlefoot and Kairyn did their best to dodge the slashing of its vicious claws but they knew they could not last forever. Littlefoot brought down his tail to try and crush the monster beneath it but it nimbly dodged to one side. Kairyn swung a punch at it but because of its squat stance and tiny frame, it slipped under him with ease.

"Grrgghh! Hold still you little git!" Kairyn growled. He cursed as it slid under another wild swing he made for its face. The little creature jumped up from beneath his swing and headbutted Kairyn under his chin. He sprawled backwards, limbs flailing, blinded by the surprise attack. By the time he had righted his gaze back down to the slippery little shadow, Kairyn could see its claws flicker in the moonlight. At that range, his guard broken and body exposed, he was as good as dead. His opponent could pretty much choose which vital organ it was going to puncture first. That's when Littlefoot careered in, his head ducked low and neck extended out straight. He shunted the monster in the side like a battering ram and it tumbled away again.

Kairyn thanked Littlefoot and spat a thin trickle of blood from his split lip into the grass. He was worn out and Littlefoot looked pretty ragged too. The little shadow, however, appeared to dance on its toes. It didn't appear to be fatigued at all. Stamina drained, the pair of them cringed as the creature came in for yet another attack but it stopped as a high pitched ring sung over from above them. A large, crescent-shaped cut carved into the grass and cleaved a dirty line between the advancing shadow and the exhausted boys halting the creature in its track. Littlefoot and Kairyn blinked in astonishment as another shadow dropped in from above them and landed ahead of them. This one, however, stood much taller and was draped in a flowing cloth; a hood over its head. In its right hand, held out quite deliberately to its side, was a long blade that shimmered like quicksilver in the milky light of the moon. The creature seemed reluctant to advance with this new opponent in its way and quickly turned on its heels and scampered away into the night.

Kairyn gasped and made to give chase but the cloaked figure held his arm out and blocked him off.

"Aren't you gonna go after it? We can't just let that thing run off and hide deeper into the Valley!" Kairyn protested.

"I don't think that one will last much longer," the figure said flicking his sword into a spin before sheathing it beneath his cloak.

"And how do you know that Mr Ghost?" Littlefoot asked stepped up behind him.

"Let's just call it hunch," the Black Ghost said solemnly as he turned to face them. "Are you both all right? No serious injuries?" Littlefoot shook his head while Kairyn muttered something roughly audible about being fine whilst trying not to be caught examining his split lip.

"What was that thing?" Littlefoot asked. The dissipating adrenaline surge was still making him feel jittery.

"Shadow Spawn – specifically, a Darkling. A living shadow; animate but not truly alive," the Black Ghost said after a few seconds' pause. Clearly he had been milling over the decision whether to tell them or not.

"And what the hell's that supposed to mean?" Kairyn scoffed.

"As I said. It exists as a form but it has no life as we would define it. It is a product created when dark matter comes into contact with living material," the Black Ghost explained.

"Dark matter? Living material? So what, like gene splicing or something?" Kairyn frowned. Littlefoot, by this point, was totally lost but he listened in all the same.

"Nothing so mechanical as splicing. It's a basic genetic replication process, like how DNA works to build a living creature. Only difference is that dark matter cannot perform this life giving process on its own. If dark matter is combined with a DNA sample, as the DNA replicates, it grants the dark matter a simple form. Replication can be complete in minutes to create a shell to manipulate but, on their own, they don't last long. Their form is unstable since only a few sequences in the genetic coding are used. The DNA breaks up after a time and the creature disintegrates with it."

"So, what's the point of their existence then?" Kairyn asked trying to deliberately sound uninterested.

"What's the point of any being's existence? Its goal, however, is exactly the same as every other living thing in this world. Survival."

"But if they die pretty much the moment they are created, how can they hope to survive?" Kairyn then asked. The Black Ghost offered two dark words.

"Parasitic possession." Kairyn looked at Littlefoot who shook his head after a blank gaze in return.

"Meaning?" Littlefoot started but the explanation was already in flow.

"The dark matter, if it is able to infest an already living being, grows within it and eventually consumes it. The conquest is violent and brutal and once it has control, the victim loses all sense of consciousness as its body is overrun. The victim then undergoes a radical and grisly transformation," the Black Ghost said coldly. Kairyn and Littlefoot's mouth dropped open like hanging drawers and glanced at each other with wide fearful eyes.

"Think how a parasite infects a host; once inside it uses the host to its own advantage. The process is not dissimilar but the result is something far more terrifying. A fully formed, living creature that comes into direct contact with dark matter will eventually be consumed by it. It is a possession that, once complete, robs the host of its life and a Shadow Spawn takes its place. The Darkling you two fought obviously did not consume a fully formed creature but managed to obtain DNA somehow."

"So these things have two forms," Kairyn reiterated. "A shell if they cannot find a decent amount of DNA, or a fully developed monster if it possesses something that is already alive."

A chilling thought then crept into Kairyn and Littlefoot's minds. They looked over at each other again, their jaws still agape.

"Jeez! If that thing had gotten to one of us…" Kairyn started.

"…then it would have taken over our body and we would have become one of those things!" Littlefoot breathed in horror. An icy shiver raked their spines as the Black Ghost turned back to where the shadowy creature had retreated to.

"How the hell do you know all this? DNA replication, parasitic possession. You some sort of mad scientist or something?" Kairyn said to his back.

"No, I'm no scientist," the Black Ghost said plainly, "but I did know a good man who studied dark matter. A very good man."

"Where do you think it came from?" Littlefoot then asked.

"I don't know. I can't see how dark matter could have made it into this realm by any conventional means. I have my suspicions but I'd need to locate a source to be sure and see how it's managed to come into contact with DNA," the Black Ghost said more to himself than to either of the boys. He made a move to disappear into the night when Kairyn called out to him.

"Hey, wait a minute! You keep going on about this 'dark matter' stuff and how dangerous it is but what the hell is it exactly? What's it look like? How can we avoid it if we don't even know what it is? What do we do if another one of those things show up?"

"You should know Kairyn since you have already encountered a Shadow Spawn… back in Second London."

Kairyn looked taken aback and was about to dismiss the statement when his mind's eye flashed back to the incident that occurred when he and Melissa were on their way to the Keltech Headquarters.

"The hovercar crash in the alleyway! That guy that crawled out of the wreckage… he was a Shadow Spawn?! It was already in London!" he gasped, his fingers hovering in front of his trembling lips. His body jolted upright as he pictured the jet black monster that assaulted them that night. It had almost ended him.

"What are we gonna do?" Littlefoot flapped. "If those things get into the Great Valley, everyone could be in danger!"

"This could become serious if left unattended. I'll have to do some investigating," the Black Ghost said taking another step forward. As his foot hit the grass, he stopped and turned back to the boys who were clearly still floundering under the weight of everything they'd seen and heard.

"I need to look into this. I strongly suggest you don't go spreading around what happened here tonight. We don't need a panic to kick off before we know what we are really up against."

"Easy for you to say. You've got all the insider knowledge on all this crap! We're still in the dark here," Kairyn grumbled.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Littlefoot asked anxiously. The Black Ghost angled his hood so it was aimed directly into Littlefoot's face. Despite not being able to see his face, Littlefoot could tell he was looking right at him.

"I'm sure you can think of some way to help out. It's never stopped you before right?" he said to him in an almost playful tone. Littlefoot flinched at the statement and blinked just as the Black Ghost made another one of his impossibly long and high leaps and was out of sight in seconds.

Kairyn and Littlefoot felt deflated and lost. They didn't know what to think about all this 'dark matter' business; it had all come thick and fast and hardly a scrap of it made sense. As per usual, the Black Ghost's secrecy and failure to explain anything in simple terms left them greatly confused and frustrated. By the time they had even considered what to do, the sun had already started to illuminate the meadow from behind the hazy mountain horizon. With a shrug each, Kairyn and Littlefoot returned home to ponder their next move.

"Maybe we should tell the others about what happened tonight?" Littlefoot suggested as they parted the leafy curtains that separated them from his nesting grounds.

"Can't see the harm. I don't have a clue about what's going on here so might as well fill them in on what we can," Kairyn said flatly. Littlefoot nodded as the pair of them sat in Littlefoot's little pit in the grass; Kairyn with his back up against his tree. Hardly seeing the point in trying to go back to sleep with dawn already beaming down on them, they both tried their hardest to rationalise what they'd been subjected to. The more Littlefoot discussed the possibilities, the more he began to feel that uncomfortable welling of fear bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

"If this dark matter stuff can take over whoever it gets inside of," Littlefoot's mind buzzed, "then that could mean anyone could turn into one of those black monsters…" The thought of his friends and family turning into dark, uncontrollable monsters chilled him to his core. It was not a sight he wanted to witness first hand. He then let out a little gasp as something struck him. He remembered the Black Ghost showing him his hand and promptly recalled the inky black skin beneath the glove he'd removed. A "curse" he called it.

"No…" Littlefoot's mind echoed within its own vacant space, "Could… could the Black Ghost be one of those Shadow Spawn things? It can't be…"

"-foot? Littlefoot?... Littlefoot are you okay? You swallow a bug or something?" a voice then warbled into his consciousness. Littlefoot shook his head as Kairyn's face rippled into view.

"You all right? Looked like you glazed over for a second there," Kairyn said staring deep into his eyes worryingly.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine thanks," Littlefoot chattered quickly. He didn't dare mention his thought process to Kairyn lest it shattered any remaining thread of trust he had for the Black Ghost at the moment. It wouldn't have benefitted anyone if he started squabbling with the cloaked figure again, especially now. So, for the time being, he kept it to himself.

Having completely disregarded what the Black Ghost had advised them on previously, as soon as a more sociable hour of the morning rolled around, Littlefoot and Kairyn gathered their friends together at the gang's hideaway to discuss the night's events out of earshot of the adults. The gang were gripped by every action and reaction; every blow and counterattack; and, much to Kairyn's annoyance, the reappearance of the Black Ghost having not seen him around for a while.

"So where this black monster now?" Petrie asked quivering slightly. He began snapping quick glances at the leafy bushes surrounding the open little copse that started flapping inexplicably. He failed to notice Cera snickering as she withdrew her tail from the nearest shrub when Petrie's eyes flicked over to where she was and feigned innocence.

"It's gone now Petrie, but I think the Black Ghost went after it," Littlefoot explained.

"And what does he think about all of this?" Ducky asked; a nervous, thoughtful finger lightly touching her lip.

"He didn't give us much to go on but all we know is that this dark matter stuff is the root of it all," Littlefoot continued.

"Well, if these monsters really do exist, I think they'd have a hard time chowing down on Spike here," Cera sniggered nodding over toward the hefty young spiketail. Spike hummed in alarm then grumbled as he narrowed his eyes dangerously at Cera.

"Cera! Do not be mean to poor Spike! Nope, nope, nope!" Ducky barked cuddling the side of her brother's head. They then both teamed up to give her a combined evil stare.

"What? I was just kidding," Cera reeled unable to hide her smirk. "Besides, I'm not even sure I believe any of this 'dark matter' nonsense. Monsters from some stuff we don't even know about. What softheaded hatchling would believe that?"

"Err… us maybe?! Coz we nearly got ripped apart last night?!" Kairyn shot irately but Cera just snorted.

"Seriously? Come on. Even you don't know what this dark matter stuff is. How do you know what the Black Ghost said is even true? Anyway, I thought you didn't trust him." Kairyn opened his mouth to banter but when nothing came out, he promptly shut it again and grumbled under his breath.

"Whether you believe the Black Ghost or not Cera, maybe you can believe us because we both saw it. That…Shadow Spawn thing attacked us. And if what the Black Ghost says is true, then we could all be in trouble if we just pretend it's not there," Littlefoot then said trying to keep the discussion civil. Cera rolled her eyes and huffed a sigh.

"Okay, so what are we gonna do? Just wait for another monster attack?" she muttered. Evidently, her little mischievous streak had been quelled by Littlefoot's last speech.

"Oh we cannot do that! Someone might get hurt-ed! They might, they might," Ducky piped anxiously.

"Ducky's right. We can't let anyone get hurt by these Shadow Spawn creatures. We have to find out where this dark matter stuff is before more of them show up and start coming into the Valley," Littlefoot said seriously.

"But where we start looking? And how we look for something we don't know what it is?" Petrie asked shrugging. The group fell silent for a moment as they pondered the idea. Kairyn dropped his head into his left hand and felt something dig into his ear as his fingers pressed against his face. He squinted as he tugged at the earpiece to his radio he'd just accidently wedged deeper into his ear canal.

"Hey, what if I call my brother over at the Keltech base? Maybe he can tell us something about this dark matter stuff. They've got brainiac scientists over there; they're bound to know something. Failing that, if he hears anything at the base, maybe he can keep us filled in," Kairyn said pulling the receiver unit from his pocket. The five dinosaurs all huddled around the little grey box in amazement as Kairyn tapped his brother's frequency into it. Five luminescent LCD digits popped up in the tiny screen and Kairyn hit the send button. After a couple of ringing buzzes, Kairyn heard Tyronne's voice burst into his left ear.

To everyone else, it was the most bizarre thing to witness. It looked like Kairyn was having an in depth conversation with the air and responded as if his brother were standing two feet from him. They all looked at each other confused but snapped their gaze back to Kairyn when his tone rose in shock.

"Really?! Well…what happened?... uh-huh… oh man! Okay sure, I'll meet you up in the mountains… okay then, see ya there." Kairyn dropped his hand from his ear and replaced the receiver unit into his pocket before turning to the gang.

"There was some sort of trouble at the Keltech base last night. An intruder got into the base somehow and made a mess of things," Kairyn said in a hurry.

"Oh no, no, no! I do hope Melissa is all right," Ducky whimpered causing Spike to hum unhappily too.

"I'm going to meet Tyronne up in the mountains by that big metal ring. I'll talk to him about the dark matter stuff once I'm there," Kairyn said already making a move towards the exit.

"Wait up Kairyn, we'll come with you," Littlefoot said as they followed him out into the Valley.

By now, the Great Valley was up and running as normal. Wandering herds were trafficking the pathways in and out of the luscious landscape and residents were busy meeting and greeting each other. All of them completely unaware of the tragedy that could have befallen them that night had it not been for Littlefoot and Kairyn's intervention. Despite that fact, this was not at the forefront of either of their minds as they scaled the mountain paths and made their way up to the Chronos Doorway to rendezvous with Kairyn's brother. As they rounded the final bend, they saw Tyronne stood admiring the giant silver ring of the vast machine. Kairyn called out to him as they drew nearer. After a quick round of placing names to faces, Tyronne nodded towards the path he'd come from.

"Alright then, lead the way Ty," Kairyn said. "Come on guys, this way."

"No!" Tyronne said sharply, turning to face the troupe of dinosaurs tailing Kairyn. "I'm sorry Kai but your dinosaur friends are not permitted to come with us. The location of the base needs to remain undisclosed for security reasons. Especially after the events of last night."

Kairyn was about to protest but Littlefoot stepped in.

"It's okay Kairyn. You go with your brother. We will meet you back home," Littlefoot said with a smile. Kairyn looked at him in surprise but then nodded when he saw something twinkle in the little longneck's eye.

"Okay, if you're sure Littlefoot. I'll see you back in the Valley. The usual place?" Kairyn said with a grin. Without further discussion, Kairyn watched as the gang all disappeared around the corner and out of sight before turning to follow his brother down to the Keltech base.

After a brisk walk, Kairyn and Tyronne arrived at the huge shutter that fenced off the base from the outside world. Tyronne spoke to a soldier guarding the entrance and they were soon inside. If the halls were as noisy and chaotic as Kairyn remembered them, they were more than doubly so now. Patrolmen were charging up and down the corridors, rifles in hand and eyes sharp for anything unusual. Tyronne guided Kairyn through the operations room were an inaudible amount of voices were bellowing over one another. It was hard to see how anyone was getting anything done in amongst such bedlam.

"So, what happened here Ty? Some sort of break-in?" Kairyn asked as the babbling multitude of voices began to die out behind them.

"That's what it looks like," Tyronne said sternly. "An intruder managed to breach our security and get into the base. Nothing been reported stolen but Schneider was majorly pissed when he heard someone had got in. We hunted high and low, in every nook and cranny for even a hint of an intruder, but we found nothing."

"So… if you didn't find anyone, then how did you know there was a break-in?" Kairyn asked.

"Alarm was triggered in the labs but it's weird. There was no sign of forced entry anywhere. One of the labs was demolished from the inside but that was it. Nothing was taken, it just seemed like a random act of vandalism," Tyronne said as they turned another corner. He then stopped in front of a door and offered Kairyn inside.

"What's this?" he asked.

"You're a field agent aren't you? You need to report your findings," Tyronne said with a smile. Kairyn felt his stomach give an awkward lurch. He wasn't sure if telling his brother, or Keltech, about the Shadow Spawn attack last night was the wisest move to make right now. If he told them that some shadowy beast had invaded the Great Valley, then the whole security force might barge their way in and start causing trouble for the locals. He'd already seen how hostile they were to just his brother so an entire fleet of military trained humans armed with weapons would simply be a flame to a fuse. That and, as much as he didn't want to admit it, he didn't want to jeopardise what the Black Ghost was investigating. If he found anything, he would be the best person to help prevent another attack.

"But I err… I don't have anything to say," Kairyn stammered trying to think of something quickly to avoid having to file in a report.

"Come on Kai, don't be nervous. Even if you report to say everything was fine, that's better than going AWOL," Tyronne said pushing him into the tiny room. He forced him down into a chair and set a small camera up so it pointed directly into his face. Kairyn was trying his hardest not to make any strange faces as he saw mug suddenly pop up on the monitor Tyronne was now tapping away at.

"Report treble zero one, field agent Kairyn Taylor, Keltech Security Division. Time stamp…" Kairyn listened as his brother continued to witter away a string of words and technical babble that didn't make much sense into the computer. His brain was firing at a million miles an hour trying desperately to think of something to say but not give anything away.

"And… you're on Kai," Tyronne said pointing at him like he were a big celebrity film director. Kairyn froze for a second or two but he found that the words were beginning to come to him slowly.

"Err… Field Agent Kairyn Taylor. Day one out in the Great Valley… Nothing of any interest to report. Umm… the dinosaurs there seem okay with me being there but… are a little worried about humans being somewhere close to their homeland… Ahh… they don't know where this base is but I am… uhh.. doing my best to keep them calm…"

Before Kairyn had realised it, he had completed his report and Tyronne switched the camera off.

"There… not so bad huh? Piece of cake," he said to Kairyn who was still reeling slightly. It was not a pleasant experience.

"Hey Ty?" Kairyn said after a pause. "Do the words 'dark matter' mean anything to you?"

"What? Is this one of your geeky game references? Not getting withdrawal symptoms are ya?" Tyronne smirked.

"No, no. Nothing like that. I was just wondering if it… I dunno… sounded familiar or anything?"

Tyronne shook his head, "No can't say it does. Why? Does it mean something to you?"

Kairyn remained silent for a moment unsure of how to word his next sentence without giving too much away. Just as he was about to speak again, the door to the room flew open almost knocking Kairyn backwards off his chair. They both froze to the spot as a giant of a man blocked the doorway.

"Ahh... Taylor… und Young Taylor. I've been expecting you," Colonel Schneider said drawlingly. Both boys snapped to attention and saluted. Kairyn swung his hand up so fast he nearly slapped himself in the face with the back of his knuckles.

"We were just recording Kairyn's first report sir," Tyronne said.

"Gud vork men. Efficiency is a quality I admire," Schneider said nodding. He stepped backwards, out into the corridor, and swung his paw-like hand out gesturing to the hall.

"Valk vit' me Taylor bruzhers," the colonel offered as he proceeded down the corridor. Tyronne flew out the door after his superior like a dog being summoned to heel. Kairyn, feeling the rush of air blast past him as Tyronne exited, dashed out behind him.

The three of them walked on for what seemed like forever. Their tiny clapping footfalls being drowned out by the hefty boots of the colonel.

"Excuse me sir but… how did you know we were recording Kairyn's report?" Tyronne asked sheepishly. The colonel answered him without turning around.

"A gud commanding officer is al-vays knowledgable of his soldiers' vhereabouts." At that moment, Kairyn felt his left collarbone tingle and he scratched at the hot spot. He then flashed a bewildered gaze up at his brother but Tyronne simply shrugged.

"I have new instructions vor you both," Schneider then said in his usual bellow. "Taylor! You are being posted at zee labs; vee need zee extra manpower. You are to aid zee investigation team und report any findings as und vhen they arise. Your security profile will require upgrading. Report to data processing bevore seeing to your new assignment."

"Yes sir," Tyronne snapped before turning to Kairyn. "See ya later Kai." Kairyn was unable to get a word out before Schneider turned to him next.

"Young Taylor, impressive vork so far. I have a new assignment vor you too. An escort mission."

"An… escort mission sir?" Kairyn whimpered. He was beginning to see why Tyronne feared this man so much. It was like trying to have a polite conversation with a rabid grizzly bear as he towered over him.

"Ja. You are to escort a VIP into zee the field with you. Zee pair of you will act as a team while you are out zere with zose dinosaurs. You are to vork togezzer in keeping us informed of any unusual behaviour zat could cause trouble vor our operation."

"Y…yes sir!" Kairyn said as respectfully as he could. As they walked around, Kairyn found himself back at the entrance.

"Gud. Your partner is vaiting vor you outside. Head back into the field and continue your observations," Schneider said sharply. With a spin of his polished boots, he clopped his way deeper into the base. Kairyn simply shook his head as he past the clearance booth and the guard rolled the shutter up. Kairyn shielded his eyes as glaring morning sunlight seeped under the door. There, a slender figure was stood silhouetted before the light.

Meanwhile, back in the Great Valley, Littlefoot and the rest of the gang were still lingering around their hideout. Boredom had settled in as Littlefoot paced up and down waiting for Kairyn to reappear through the trees. Ducky, Petrie and Spike were flopped in the corner rolling small rocks back and forth between them. Cera, who had been lying on a flat topped rock bathing in the sunlight, suddenly got up and gave an irritated grunt.

"How long is this kid gonna take? We've been waiting all morning for him!" she barked indignantly.

"Maybe he no come anymore," Petrie said standing up and stretching. His legs cramped and half asleep.

"He said he'd meet us here once he's done. We'll just have to be patient guys," Littlefoot said calmly. He gazed through the trees trying to make out something in amongst the tightly packed trunks but no one was there.

"Well I'm bored of waiting. I'm off to get a drink," Cera muttered as she hopped down off her warmed boulder.

"Cera…" Littlefoot whined but Cera didn't seem to care. Just then, Cera gasped as she heard a rustling in the undergrowth. The disturbance quickly snagged the attention of the others and they huddled around Cera as she stared off into the distance.

"It Kairyn! Me see him!" Petrie cawed.

"It's about time!" Cera huffed.

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late," Kairyn said with a smile. "Did I miss anything?"

"Only the grass growing," Cera said sarcastically. "Can we go now?"

"Hold on a sec Cera, I've got a surprise for all of you," Kairyn teased. The gang all crowded him eager to find out more. Kairyn smiled and nodded beyond them. Turning on the spot, the gang's faces all lit up as a young girl walked into the sunny little clearing.

"Melissa!" they all cried with joy. Melissa giggled and waved coyly.

"Hi everyone," she said sweetly.

The group ambushed Melissa with more questions than she could answer as they sat around their stone carving. Melissa explained that once her grandfather took her in, he nursed her back to health. She claimed to have no recollection of how she ended up in the mountains after telling everyone that she was going back to Ducky and Spike's place after complaining of not feeling well.

"I'm sorry everyone. I didn't mean to make you all worry," she said shyly.

"It is okay Melissa. It is not your fault. We are just glad to see that you are all right. We are, we are," Ducky said sliding her hand into Melissa's. The gesture made her smile and she thanked Ducky for her kind words.

"So what happened to you at the base? Do you remember anything?" Kairyn asked.

"Not much. All I know is that my grandfather was taking care of me in his lab. That's probably why you couldn't find me. I did overhear that you were in the medical bay but I was still undergoing treatment at the time," Melissa said.

"You overheard? You were awake?" Kairyn asked.

"Well, kinda. When grandfather was healing me up, I drifted in and out of consciousness. Sometimes I could see and hear things. Grandfather was really upset one day when he said that one of the labs were badly damaged in some sort of attack."

"Yeah, that happened last night. The base was supposedly attacked by some kind of intruder but they didn't catch anyone," Kairyn said blandly.

"I heard that something really important had been destroyed. Something about… dark matter I think…" Melissa said naively. On the utterance of those words, Littlefoot and Kairyn gasped and jumped to their feet.

"Dark matter?!" Littlefoot breathed in shock.

"Are you sure Melissa? Is that exactly what you heard?" Kairyn asked leaning over to her.

"Y-yeah… I think so. I can't say for sure because I was still resting up when I thought I heard it. I do know that grandfather was furious. He was yelling and cursing from his terminal in his lab. I could hear him from where I was."

"Those humans have the dark matter!" Littlefoot cried in awe.

"But why? What the hell are they using it for?" Kairyn pondered rubbing his face.

"Is something wrong?" Melissa asked innocently. Kairyn and Littlefoot looked at each other before turning to her and began explaining the situation with the shadowy creature that had attacked them.

Melissa looked shell-shocked after listening to their story. She was horrified that the pair of them had confronted the mysterious Shadow Spawn creature. She was even more startled to learn that both she and Kairyn had already met one of the monsters in Second London and had not fully understood what that man had become.

"So, the Black Ghost is out there investigating this dark matter stuff?" Melissa asked.

"We think so but we haven't seen him since last night. We don't know where he's gone," Littlefoot said.

"Ya know – have either of you stopped to think that maybe it was the Black Ghost causing trouble last night? Maybe he was the one who got into the human's home place and broke everything in there," Cera then said dismissively.

"No Cera that can't be true! He helped us fight off that shadow creature so he can't have done it," Littlefoot bit back but Kairyn's mind was already racing.

"We can't deny that it's a little strange. That Shadow Spawn turns up and he's just conveniently there to save the day," he said verbalising his thoughts.

"Kairyn…" Littlefoot sighed defeated.

"I'm just saying. Apparently the security team couldn't find any signs of forced entry and Black Ghost is a dab-hand at breaking into places undetected. He's been doing it for ages back in my time."

"But why he do that? What he trying to do?" Petrie asked.

"I don't know but he must have a motive. He seemed quick to tell us that the Shadow Spawn was our enemy. What if he's the one leading them?" Kairyn said.

"Kairyn, you don't really believe that do you?" Littlefoot asked almost sounding hurt. "He's been helping us all this time. Why would he turn on us?"

"I don't know Littlefoot, but the guy's as shady as they come and I don't trust him. As far as I'm concerned, he's the number one suspect right now," Kairyn snapped bitterly forcing Littlefoot to hold his tongue. He simply sighed disappointed by Kairyn shallow-mindedness.

"We can't put the blame on him yet. We need to talk to him again so he can explain himself," Melissa said firmly. Kairyn gave a dismissive snort but Littlefoot silently thanked her with a smile.

"Me wonder where he is now," Petrie hummed.

Meanwhile, back at the Keltech base, the clean-up and investigation into last night's disruption was well underway. Director Thorne was in his office reading through the latest reports and he was not happy.

"Damn it! Two scientists missing and a whole vat's worth of dark matter lost in that foul up! We've lost too much in that one incident alone. Another loss like that will put us out of production and leave us stranded here! Schneider and those damn boy scouts have got a lot to answer for!" Thorne swore as he slammed an angry fist down on his desk. Just as the dull thud shuddered through the table top, the whole base seemed to screamed out. Thorne looked up at the walls that began pulsing a dangerous shade of red and the alarm sang out tunelessly. Thorne snatched up a tablet computer and smacked at the screen in a fit of rage.

"Schneider! Schneider! What the hell is going on down there!" he screeched into the device.

"Director! An intruder has been spotted in zee laboratories! It is possible it could be zee same one from last night. We are moving to interzept und apprehend now!" Schneider voice came through a bubbling of static. In the background, Thorne could hear the panicked flurry of voices and the rattling of gunfire.

"Tell your men to mind their fire in that area Schneider! We can't afford any more loss of dark matter! Just capture the bastard and get this mess under control!" Thorne yelled before slamming the handheld computer down in frustration.

Out in the corridors, a platoon of soldiers were dashing down the hall in pursuit of their target. Sheer pandemonium ran through the base as gunshots were fired at a bouncing target that shot around at incredible speed. The soldiers seemed to be chasing their tails as they tried to keep up with the target. Just then, Schneider's authoritative voice boomed over one soldier's radio.

"Status report! Vot da hell has managed to get into zah base!" he exploded.

"In pursuit now colonel! Target is elusive but appears to be all black. He's jumping around like a lunatic. We can't get a bead on him!" the soldier reported.

"Don't lose him! Und for God's sake watch your fire! Do not damage any of zee tanks in zat area! I'm on my way!"

"Roger that sir!"

Another volley of machine gun fire flew down the corridor and peppered the back wall as a blurring black shadow dashed off to the side. Sparks flew as bullets pinged and ricocheted away from the shadow as it came into contact with metal being swung at a lightning pace. Two men fell to the ground as a couple of deflected bullets bounced back the way they came and caught them in their arms. The shadow then darted around another corner and through a door where it slid shut behind it. The soldiers crowded on either side of the hall keeping the door in sight. Rifles aimed dead centre on the room as a breaching team moved into position.

"Vot is zee situation sergeant?" Schneider said sliding into position behind another soldier. In his hand was a hefty looking sub-machine gun pistol.

"Target slipped into storage room five. It's a sealed room sir; there's nowhere to go. Only one way in and out. He's trapped."

"Mind your fire in zat room. It is one of zee storage room of a dangerous chemical. If zee vat is damaged, we are all dead," Schneider whispered as lowly as he could.

"Ready to breach on your go sir!" Schneider's radio fizzed.

"Do it!" he nodded. The breaching squad were quick and efficient. As soon as the door was open, they fanned in, their guns raised and trigger fingers itchy. As they scanned the room, they all gave a shout for the all clear.

"VOT!" Schneider bellowed as he marched into the room. Flinging a soldier stood in the doorway backwards into the wall outside, Schneider glowered at the space in the tiny room. As described, the room was completely sealed with no viable way in or out except for the door. The only occupants of the room were four large cylindrical vats all with a deep purple solution floating in each of them and there were no spots to hide between them. Schneider gritted his teeth so hard they could have splintered as he slit his lip and made it bleed.

"SEARCH ZEE AREA! He cannot have escaped zees vacinity! I vont him found NOW!" Schneider screamed, deliriously angry. Tasting the warm liquid in his mouth, he spat a spot of blood out on the floor behind one of the vats and stormed out. The soldiers flooded out of the room and into the surrounding network of corridors in search of their elusive target. As the door slid shut behind the last man out, a faint dripping sound could be heard echoing in the tiny concrete room. From the back of the third vat, some of the purple liquid was leaking out of the metallic container and began pooling on the floor. As the pool's diameter grew, it edged closer to a trickle of blood splattered on the gritty ground.


	37. Missing Pieces

Chapter 36: Missing Pieces

The Keltech base was in an absolute uproar and nerves were frayed wire-thin by the last intrusion twofold. Firstly on the knowledge that someone had breached their security and was able to access their facility at their leisure. Secondly, it had been impossible to identify the intruder due to their unnaturally quick movements and ability to simply vanish on command. Two factors that made every occupant anxious and twitchy to the tiniest of abnormalities. The base was on high alert and Schneider had doubled the patrols in all sectors. He was still livid that nothing had been collected from the intruder let alone someone being detained. The intruder was a ghost and left no trace of its presence besides the scorched memories of the guards who had given chase. Much to his relief, Tyronne wasn't involved in the pursuit but he was just as edgy as everyone else. There was no telling where this lunatic could be hiding, or when he might strike next.

With his newly granted clearance, Tyronne was able to freely roam the restricted laboratory area of the base. Rifle looped over his shoulder, he slowly clopped his way up and down the sterile halls, his eyes keen for anything out of the ordinary. Being new to the area, and with the panic of the intruder still keeping tensions high, Tyronne hadn't been allocated a partner to work with yet and he couldn't see it happening for a while. Not with the colonel so wound up about the last encounter with their mysterious entity.

Suddenly, as Tyronne rounded a corner, he heard something clank to the floor. Snapping his head up, Tyronne flinched as he saw something scurry away at the opposite end of the corridor. Swinging his rifle around and into his hand, Tyronne made a run for the fleeing person. Pressing his back against the wall, Tyronne took a peek around the corner. He just saw something turn into one of the rooms and a door slide close behind him. Without thinking, Tyronne hurried up to the door and stood beside it. It was a chemical storage room, one way in and one way out; no escape. Tyronne's brow beaded with nervous sweat as he silently counted to himself. His fingers hot and itchy as they hovered over the trigger.

On a mental screaming of three, the door flew open and Tyronne spun into the room. Rifle raised, he stood firm in the doorway as a silent audience of shelves stood frozen to the spot. With a quick scanning flick to and fro, he then lowered his gun when he found nothing there. Breathing a sigh, Tyronne was about to turn back, thinking he was jumping at shadows, when something caught his eye. Over in the corner of the room was a peculiar looking puddle. Stepping closer, allowing the door to slide shut, Tyronne duck down to get a better look. At first he thought maybe one of the chemicals had leaked onto the floor but there was no sign of disturbance to any of the shelves. Leaning closer, the puddle shimmered an odd shade of purple that was so deep it could have been mistaken for black.

Tyronne reached forward to touch the strange liquid when he froze on the spot. A gasp escaped his throat as he heard a high-pitched ring whistle dangerously close to his right ear.

"Don't…move…" a long drawing voice said slowly from behind him. "Stay…exactly… where you are." Something was pressed flat atop his right shoulder and Tyronne's eyes grew wide with fright as a long blade slid into his line of sight; its silvery edge aimed and angled to slice through his neck. Tyronne swallowed hard and remained as still as his shivering body would allow.

"Now, you will do exactly as I say," the voice said calmly. "Stand up slowly… but do not turn around." Tyronne did as he was told. Instinctively, held his hands parallel to his head, his palms spread wide in compliant surrender. Tyronne tensed when he felt the blade on his shoulder move. The next thing he saw was his rifle clattering harmlessly to the floor; its strap slit in two.

"Now then. Call for backup. Tell your superior you've found the intruder." Tyronne's mind blurred. Did he hear him right? He wants him to call for reinforcements?

"Do it now… tell them to meet you here…" the voice said steadily. Tyronne slowly inched his left hand down to this radio and tapped in Schneider's frequency. It was almost impossible with his hand trembling so much.

"Schneider here, vot is it?" the colonel's voice erupted in his ear.

"T-this is Taylor s-sir…" Tyronne said quaveringly, "I-I've found the intruder. I've got him down in the… chemical stores in the labs… Requesting… immediate support sir…"

"Vot! Hold fast Taylor! Vee are on our vay! Do not approach him on your own Taylor but stay vit him, understood?"

"T-that won't be a problem sir. I-I'll be waiting for you…" Tyronne whimpered. "Over and… out."

As the static fizzled out, Tyronne slowly lifted his left hand back up beside his head awaiting his next instruction.

"Good… now let's go and greet them shall we?" the voice said. This time, his voice was more cocky; almost overconfident. Tyronne felt a hand grip his arm and spun him around so he was facing his captor.

"YOU!" Tyronne gasped in horror. Just as he had registered who it was, the figure darted behind him and gripped his arms low behind his back.

"Yes, me," the voice said smugly. He pressed the sword against Tyronne's throat as he attempted to struggle with his restraint. "After you…" he said kicking Tyronne in the back of the legs to get him to move forwards. The door slid open and they both waddled out into the brightly lit corridors.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the Great Valley, Littlefoot and his friends were still lingering around their little hideout in the dense patch of forest deep in conversation with Kairyn and Melissa. News of the Keltech base's second breaching had not yet reached them so they were all blissfully unaware of the danger the complex was in. With the excitement of the previous night still very much at the forefront of their minds, particularly for Kairyn and Littlefoot, their discussions had moved onto thoughts and theories of how this all pieced together.

"You mean to say that humans have been here before?" Melissa asked in astonishment.

"Oh yes, yes, yes! Humans came to the Great Valley some time ago," Ducky chimed in.

"Yeah… they caused plenty of trouble back then too," Cera snorted but no one paid her any attention.

"That how we meet Jason and the other humans, Jill and Mr Stone," Petrie added with a merry chirp.

"Jason… You've mentioned that name before. Who is he exactly?" Kairyn asked turning to Littlefoot who shied a little at first.

"Well… he's a friend of ours who came to the Valley. I found him in the Forest of Fear. He… sorta saved me from a pack of egg stealers," Littlefoot explained grinning slightly as the mental flashback replayed in vivid detail. A strange blue portal had appeared from nowhere allowing a wailing boy to come shooting out and crash tackled the stalking egg stealers thus repelling them. "I brought him back to the Great Valley and he lived with us for a while."

"You kinda remind me of him Kairyn," Petrie then said openly. Kairyn gawked for a second but promptly shut his mouth before more than a guttering choke could come from it. He was doubly shocked when he heard Spike hum and nod in agreement.

"So err… what about this guy was so special then?" Kairyn managed to spit out after clearing his throat.

"Well, he was the first human we had ever seen before and he had that magic stone," Ducky said.

"Magic stone?" Melissa hummed curiously.

"Yeah, Littlefoot has one too," she added glancing over at him.

"Well, I did have one, but I lost it," Littlefoot admitted shamefully. Every time he had to say that, it stung him.

"How did you lose it?" Melissa asked and Kairyn cut in saving Littlefoot the pain of retelling it again.

"Remember that big commotion going on in the labs that night we went to Keltech? The big catch? That was Littlefoot. They snagged him from his time and brought him to ours. The last time he remembered having it was before then." Melissa eyes went wide with shock.

"They kidnapped you?! But why?" Melissa gasped. There was a pause for a moment and they all looked at each other.

"That's a very good point. Why _did_ they kidnap you Littlefoot?" Kairyn asked perplexed.

"How should I know! I just saw a group of humans roaming around the Valley and I was following them. I had no idea that they were gonna take me away!" Littlefoot protested.

"Wait a minute. Didn't you say you saw those humans over in the Forest of Fear?" Cera then said.

"Yeah…" Littlefoot said dismissively.

"And then again, here, in our hideout?" she continued.

"Yeah. That was before they chased me right before I bumped into you guys. They looked like they were searching for something, but I didn't recognise any of them."

"Scouts from Keltech's private military maybe? But what could they have been searching for?" Kairyn pondered.

"They were looking at the old humans' home in the Forest of Fear; remember the one you went into Kairyn? Then they came here to look at our Friendship Stone," Littlefoot said flatly.

"Two things made by humans… and for some reason they wanted Littlefoot too. Do you think there is a connection?" Cera asked suddenly very into the conversation.

"Hang on, back up a sec. Going a bit fast. What's this Friendship Stone?" Kairyn asked feeling worried he might have missed something.

The gang all got to their feet and slowly trudged past Kairyn. Each one of them took it in turns to perch next to a large oblong stone, almost as if to frame it. Kairyn turned and gazed in amazement at the markings that were on the rock's flat face.

"It's a carving," Melissa said breathlessly, "and… all of you are on it."

"Yep, yep, yep. Jason did it for us before he went back to his world. Like a special goodbye," Ducky said. Her tone was a mix of joy hinted with a solemn sadness.

"Yeah. It so we 'member the amazing adventure we all have together," Petrie piped in sounding proud to be showing it off. Kairyn ducked down and scanned the carving intently from left to right, gazing at the line-up. At the back was Spike with Ducky stood atop his back. Next was Cera with a wide grin followed by another longneck that he didn't recognise.

"That's Ali. She's a friend of ours but she doesn't live here. She's part of a travelling herd; she was with us too," Cera explained. Kairyn nodded as he turned back to the carving. In front of Ali, was the figure of a human boy and Petrie was just airborne above him. And at the very front was Littlefoot, leading the way but glancing back over his shoulder at his long line of friends. The poses were so deliberate, it was almost like looking at a prehistoric movie poster.

"Is that him? The boy in the middle?" Kairyn said pointing to the only non-dinosaur in the assembly. The gang all hummed.

"I can't believe I didn't notice this until now," Kairyn said unable to take his eyes off the artwork.

"Hey. What's this little triangle thingy up here?" Melissa then asked. She gingerly pressed her finger underneath a floating trio of triangles hovering over the group. They were arranged like a pyramid, stacked one on top of the other; the top triangle resting on the points of the other two below it.

"They are called the Stones of Essence. Three magic stones of three different colours and each with its own special power. When they came together, it made a super powerful stone called the Heaven's Eternity Crystal," Littlefoot explained. The adventure and events involving the stones were permanently burned into his mind. He could never forget even the smallest of details. "Only those who have and can use the stones can use the power of the crystal however they wish."

"No way… so that's what this yellow stone thing is?" Kairyn breathed in awe. He gently pulled the yellow triangular stone from his pocket, unfurled his fingers from around it and simply stared at it.

"You have one too Kairyn?" Petrie stammered.

"Yeah, but… I had no idea what it was or what it was capable of. My dad gave it to me when…" he trailed off. He suddenly felt an overwhelming rush tumble over him as he remembered the promise he had made to his father as he lay mortally wounded. Finally, he was beginning to unravel the mystery of the stone and the answers were here.

"But… that makes four stones? That big shiny one was made with just three stones?" Ducky said which suddenly jolted Littlefoot's memory.

"Wait! The Black Ghost said something about another stone," he said urgently. All eyes turned to him as he moved around to the front of the stone carving.

"He said that the fourth stone fits here, in the middle. It's supposed to control the power from the other three stones so that anyone can use it; not just those who held the stones," Littlefoot said excitedly.

"Could that be what Keltech were after? Were they after the stones to try and make the Heaven's Eternity Crystal again?" Kairyn thought out loud.

"But how did they know about it in the first place? What were they planning on using it for?" Melissa asked sounding a bit nervous.

"I don't know. We might have to find out one way or another," Kairyn then said rather darkly. He turned to the gang, "So who were the other stone holders?"

"Well, there Littlefoot. His stone was blue," Petrie started.

"That girl human, Jill, her stone was…" Cera slurred which prompted Spike to start grunting and bobbing up and down.

"Green… her stone was green. It was, it was," Ducky piped in, interpreting for Spike.

"And Jason's stone was red. He had it on a shiny vine that he gave to me. We swapped our stones before he left," Littlefoot finished.

"And I've got the yellow one. But… I don't have any magic powers. How do I get it to work?" Kairyn asked but the gang all shook their heads.

"Dammit. There's something we are still missing. What were the stones used for last time they all came together?" he then asked. Uncovering the pieces of this mystery was starting to get exciting.

For the rest of the morning, Littlefoot and his friends spent the time retelling their adventure and first encounter with the humans. They spoke of every action, success and tragedy, that they experienced whilst the humans were in the Great Valley and their audience were spellbound. Every so often, Kairyn and Melissa could simply stare at them aghast and amazed at what the young group of dinosaurs had been through as they revealed the conspiracy behind the Red Phoenix Corporation and their leader's fiendish plot to claim dominion over all. Surviving assaults from undead and freakish experimentations, fierce battles using sheer force of might, cunning and powerful magicks against supernatural foes, travelling across time, dangerous escapes barely a hair's breadth from death's cold embrace and even suffering the loss of close friends. Their story was nothing short of legendary.

"Whoa! So the Red Phoenix turned on her creators and was going to wipe out everything? And you stopped her?" Kairyn breathed in amazed reverence. He hadn't been able to close his mouth throughout the entirety of the tale. The gang all nodded and smiled clearly proud of their achievement.

"And she was Jason's mother? And together you defeated her and save the world? That must have been tough for you all," Melissa said in similar awe.

"It was nothing," Cera boasted smugly; her head held high.

"But that wasn't the hardest part…" Littlefoot then said, his head dipped slightly.

"Oh no. The hardest part was when Jason, Jill and Mr Stone had to leave," Ducky said solemnly which made Spike whimper, equally downcast.

"Yeah. After all we go through, me never forget the morning they go through big shiny ring and go back," Petrie said slowly.

"To right the final wrong…" Littlefoot whispered to himself just barely audible to the others.

"So that's what that Chronos Doorway contraption up in the mountains is for?" Kairyn said as a thought sprung to mind. He quickly pulled out his Minicom and, once activated, started flicking through the datastreams he had collected from the Chronos Doorway's operating console. Everyone leaned in as Kairyn set the device down on a flat rock and activated the holographic display for everyone to see.

"I guess that explains the usage log here," he said poking at a file. "The console itself is fairly old tech going by its security programs but it still baffles me that nearly three hundred years have passed between the time your friends left and when Littlefoot was kidnapped."

"Three hundred years?" Melissa yelped embarrassingly loudly. She quickly shrunk down to try and minimise the glares now aimed at her.

"Yep. But there is obviously some sort of link between all these goings-on. All we know so far is that Keltech has been using this old Red Phoenix machinery and investigating leads tied to them. Then there's these Stones of Essence and Littlefoot. But the big question is what Keltech is researching all this for. What are they hoping to achieve?" Kairyn pondered.

"And there is all this stuff with the Shadow Spawn and dark matter. How does all that fit into all this?" Littlefoot added.

"Good point. Could Keltech be looking for the stones and their holders?" Kairyn theorised.

"I suppose that makes sense seeing as Professor Taylor already had the yellow stone," Melissa chimed in. "Maybe he and his team were hoping to find the others. That'll explain why them finding and bringing Littlefoot to our time was such a big deal."

"But if that were true, how would they find Jason and Jill?" Cera asked. The group went silent for a moment.

"Dunno, but it seems like all this stuff is linked to the Red Phoenix Corporation and their work in one way or another. Maybe that's what Keltech have been basing their work on. But it still doesn't tell us what they are after. If it is the Stones of Essence, what do they hope to gain by having them?" Kairyn said waving his hand over the holographic screen to pan through the information he'd gathered.

"I just hope they don't make a mess of things like the last lot of humans did," Cera grumbled.

"So how we gonna find out?" Petrie asked as Kairyn deactivated the screen and picked up his Minicom.

"Well, there is only one place with all the answers but it's all locked up tighter than a digi-creds virtual safe. If we could only get some info from them then we might be able to figure this out before they do," Kairyn said.

"You gonna help them get what they want?" Petrie asked uncertainly.

"Not help them outright. But in order to get some leaks, we'd have to play along. I'll have to continue being their 'field agent' and who knows. They might just let loose a secret or two."

"You're gonna double cross them? That sounds like a really bad idea Kairyn. Keltech is one of the biggest and most powerful corporations in the modern world! How are you going to compete with them?" Melissa said sounding very concerned.

"I dunno. I'll think of something," Kairyn said assertively. At that moment, his left collarbone twinged again and he scratched at it.

"So what now then?" Cera asked stretching her now tired legs. Suddenly, a great grumbling roar echoed out of the silence. All eyes turned to Spike who sheepishly craned his head under his lifted front foot and gazed at his belly. The grumbling rang out again.

"Sounds like someone's hungry," Melissa giggled as he stroked the top of Spike's head.

"Guess we have been here a long time. Maybe we should head somewhere for something to eat," Littlefoot suggested feeling his own stomach churning and rumbling.

"I've already given my report for the day so there's no point us heading to the base now. They might think something's up if we keep going back and forth. I guess something to eat would be good," Kairyn said smiling. "I doubt there's anything exciting going on up there now anyway."

With that, the group all trudged out of the little clearing and into the surrounding fields where the gang began leading them towards a great eating spot they knew by the Thundering Falls.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Keltech base, another wave of pandemonium had broken out. A standoff was in play as Schneider and his team were poised, weapons raised and aimed, opposite a nervous Tyronne who stood, back painfully arched, with a glinting blade to his throat and his hands clamped behind him by his captor. Tyronne wasn't quite sure which party to be more afraid of. He didn't fancy having his windpipe slit by his restraint but by the same token, he couldn't imagine being shredded by friendly fire to be a particularly good way to go out either. By the look on Schneider's face he could see his commanding officer processing a million thoughts a second as the barrel of his gun hovered in the dangerous space somewhere between Tyronne's forehead and the man behind him.

"You've got no vay out monster! I suggest you surrender now!" Schneider bellowed in the narrow corridor.

"Or what? You'll shoot me? Does the life of this dedicated solider mean nothing to you, a pawn as he may be?" the captor hissed. It almost sounded like he was enjoying the tension of the whole situation. "Despite how this looks, I'm not here to needlessly shed blood. I've come to converse with your… leader let's say."

"Vee don't negotiate vit' terrorists! You are in un impossible position to ask vor any-zing! Zere is no vay out!" Schneider barked furiously.

"Way out? If I wanted out, why'd you think I'd be letting myself in?" the captor drooled gleaming from over Tyronne's shoulder. "Besides, a grunt like you couldn't possibly comprehend the wealth of the intel I possess for your… little science fair projects you've got running here. It'll bring you closer to getting what you want but I require an audience with the heads of your research department. That is, before this kid ends up losing his. Believe me, I could do it and be gone before you've been able to blink." Tyronne tried his damnedest not to scream as he felt the blade angle along the side of his neck and felt it slip into his flesh. A trickle of warm liquid ran down his neck and soaked into the collar of his uniform that was already saturated with panicked sweat. Tyronne watched as the colonel muttered something through gritted teeth. He prayed that he wouldn't sacrifice him just to get to the target since he'd imagined he could have seen him as expendable. His eyes were burning with murderous intent and hollow pit of his gun had not wavered from its mark between Tyronne's eyebrows. He swallowed hard; he really was going to go through him!

To his amazement, he then saw Schneider raise his left hand to his ear and began muttering into the air. A radio call. After a few tense minutes, Schneider lowered his hand and it clasped gently under his gun again.

"You vill be escorted under supervision to zee meeting room vere you vill be under constant surveillance. Make just vun false move and vee vill gun you down like zee beast you are. Is zat clear?"

"I'm not one to play by someone else's rules but I think I can accommodate you. However, I'll keep hold of my friend here. We've gotten quite close I'd like to think." Schneider narrowed his eyes dangerously before lowering his weapon. He quickly tapped the shoulders of his surrounding team and they backed up, their weapons still aimed. Tyronne heard his captor give a smug chuckle before feeling a kick in the back of his knee. Regaining control of his collapsed leg, Tyronne marched forward with the blade still pressed against his Adam's apple. He could see the anxious looks on his squadmates' faces and their fingers twitched over their triggers as they trailed after Schneider who led the way.

It was the slowest and longest walk of Tyronne's life and they had hardly thirty metres to go to the executive end of the base. The coldness of the blade was stinging against the angry sore of the slit in his neck which was still weeping a steady trickle of blood. When they finally arrived, the door automatically slid open to a long, rectangular room whose walls did not house a single window and was lit with a sterile beam of artificial light. The décor was slightly more luxurious than the rest of the base but even that was a stretch of the imagination since all it included was a long silvery table with a matching set of icy chrome chairs. The glare from the light off the metallic furnishings was almost blinding. At the top end of the table, furthest from the door, sat Director Thorne with Professor Clements hovering precariously over his shoulder. Tyronne was shuffled awkwardly into the room after the escort party as Schneider presented a chair to his captor. Tyronne heard him snort just before he felt something strike him in the back of the head and he fell to his knees. There was a clunking of guns being raised as if to praise the opportunity to finally be used but the chance never came.

A high-pitched resonating ring sung out and the guards that had stood by the doorway as they entered all yelped like frightened puppies as they saw the front half of their guns shatter and tumble to the floor. A smooth crescent curve cut right through their barrels.

"Don't even think about it," the hostage taker said edgily. Tyronne, having just about recovered from being clouted in the back of the skull, turned to look up at that moment to see his tormentor's blade pointing at the bridge of his nose and barely an inch away.

"And you… stay right where you are. Need to make sure your superior behaves himself." Tyronne looked up over the table at Schneider who was just holstering his gun. Tyronne turned back to his captor as he took his seat and Schneider took his across the table from the intruder.

"Quite the display," Director Thorne said clapping his hands together. "Normally a simple email is all that's required to arrange a meeting."

"Well, I like to go for a dramatic entrance. That and I needed to get your attention without your handymen redecorating the place with polka dots," Tyronne's captor said haughtily nodding over towards Schneider. A cringing sound of grinding teeth suddenly became audible.

"So, I understand you are here to discuss something with us mister… what was it again?" the director asked.

"Forgotten me already? And here I thought I'd made a lasting impression the last time. The name's Zeiger. And I've got some info for you that's pure gold."


	38. Sinister Dealings

Chapter 37: Sinister Dealings

Even though he had spent a few days with Littlefoot and his friends in their homeland, Kairyn still found himself lost in the luxurious natural beauty the Great Valley offered. Despite the sheer mass of trees, flowing rivers and vast open fields, there was always a new corner that he had not explored and the gang were more than happy to give both him and Melissa the guided tour. Through a maze of twisting paths hidden in a dense patch of forest, Littlefoot brought them to a little area by a tiny running stream where a plethora of fruit and berries sat amongst the branches of the trees and punctuating the shrubs around them. Their bright, vibrant colours accented the invitation to sample their plump and ripened flesh. Ducky quickly labelled it 'the sweetest spot in all the Great Valley' as the gang all dived in. Kairyn was a little apprehensive at first. The fruit looked alien despite their vivid and healthy colours but once he saw Melissa tucking into a bright red fruit that looked like a rather fat, round apple straight off the tree without a thought, he quickly joined in. He was glad he did and helped himself to more the moment he was done with the first one.

Having eaten their fill, the gang all sat down with a mighty flop next to the trickling stream to give their meal a chance to go down. No one could say anything having eaten to the point of bursting as they lay vegetating on the soft grass. After a few minutes of silence, Melissa sat up and gazed at her reflection in the nearby stream. She slowly lowered her fingers into the crystal clear water distorting her smiling face as they pierced the surface. A gentle tingle prickled the tips of her digits as the water pulled and rippled between them.

"This is such a wonderful place. It's no wonder you are all so fond of it," she said finally still mesmerised by the calm flow of the water. The gang all began to stir and rolled up to a comfy lounging position to get a look over to where Melissa's voice was coming from.

"Yeah, no kidding. I've never seen anything like this before. I mean we have parks in the city and I've heard that there are some natural reserves elsewhere in the country in our time but – they've got nothing on the Great Valley. Not even close!" Kairyn chimed in.

"What is your homeland like Kairyn?" Ducky then asked as she shuffled closer to Melissa and promptly found Melissa's free hand draped over her shoulder the moment they made contact.

"What Second London? Err… well… it's…" Kairyn stammered, clearly not expecting the question. "It's nothing like here. It's all concreted over, hardly a patch of grass anywhere; not the natural stuff anyway. I mean, we all play sports and games on synthetic pitches, less chance of getting friction burns or grass stains on your clothes. There's a ton of buildings everywhere, loads of them. Skyscrapers that are taller than the trees even here. Heck, I'm not even sure I could even tell ya where the nearest tree is." Kairyn laughed at his last statement.

"There… aren't any trees where you live?" Littlefoot asked slowly. His tone was both alarmed and somewhat saddened.

"Well I mean, we have… machines that act as trees. They recycle all the junk in the city air and produce oxygen just like trees do. More efficiently in fact," Kairyn quickly babbled as a reassuring counterpoint but Littlefoot still looked dismayed. Somehow, he couldn't imagine living in a home where there were no trees or herbaceous vegetation. To him, the very concept sounded like living out in the Mysterious Beyond.

"Hey! Don't look at me like that! It wasn't my decision to build the city the way it is," Kairyn flapped unable to withstand the pained expression on Littlefoot's face. "I guess that's just how things developed. Humans use technology to better their own lives and build things to do just that."

"Yes. And that's the reason why when things go wrong, they are often left stranded without a hope once their mechanical contraptions break down or go awry," a slow drawling voice said over them. A chorus of gasps escaped all their throats as they shot a nervous gaze up into the nearest tree canopy.

"Black Ghost!" Littlefoot squeaked swallowing the knot of air wedged in his voicebox. There, perched in a joint between the trunk and an extending branch stood a black cloaked figure. With a quick hop, he dropped to the ground kicking up a spray of pollen and petals as he landed in the flowering grass.

"Where the hell'd you come from!" Kairyn yelped equally spooked and now on his feet.

"Another pointless question," the Black Ghost sighed as he stepped towards the group who were still a little startled by his sudden appearance. Kairyn's lip curled into a snarl as he watched the back of cloaked man move towards the water's edge. Everyone stared at him intently as he bent down and lowered his cupped, gloved hands into the stream and took a drink from it.

"Where have you been Mr Ghost? Did you find that Shadow Spawn thing that attacked us last night?" Littlefoot asked anxiously.

"To an extent," the Black Ghost replied tonelessly as he took another sip. "But by the time I'd gotten to it, it had already starting dissolving into nothing."

"So, we safe then. No more scary monsters coming into Great Valley?" Petrie piped fluttering down from another tree he had shot up into upon the unexpected arrival.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that," the Black Ghost said plainly.

"Oh will you cut the melodramatic crap and just tell us what the hell's going on!" Kairyn snapped. Whatever tranquillity the sunny little spot had granted him previously had all but dissipated now the Black Ghost was within eyesight. The Black Ghost paused, water still seeping out between the gaps in his fingers, before taking one last gulp and standing upright.

"You can rest easy for now. There haven't been any more Shadow Spawn wandering around," he reported. Everyone gave a sigh of relief but the Black Ghost quickly followed up. "But, be on your guard. I still haven't been able to pinpoint exactly where that one Spawn had come from. I figured it was from that base beyond the Great Valley's borders."

Kairyn felt his chest pull tight, "You know about the Keltech base?"

"Well if I didn't, I do now," the Black Ghost replied smoothly. Kairyn stammered for a moment before scowling at him. "Relax, I found it whilst investigating the area after you and Littlefoot were attacked. I'd imagine they're responsible for bringing dark matter to this world and they're probably still playing around with it in there but I seriously doubt they have the know-how to create Shadow Spawn. My guess is that they still think it is an energy source."

"Did you go in there?" Kairyn asked sternly, his mind suddenly flicking over to his brother and his safety.

"No… given the events last time I set foot on Keltech grounds, I'd see little reason to want to return there without suitable cause." Kairyn felt a hot, angry flush shoot down his arms and into his hands. Clenching his fists into tight balls was all he could do to prevent himself from lashing out and smacking the Black Ghost in the vacant space where his face should be.

"Besides, getting in and out of that base without causing mass panic would be nearly impossible."

"Even for you?" Littlefoot asked.

"Everyone has their limits," the Black Ghost replied which made Kairyn snort somewhat smugly.

The group all huddled a little closer as the Black Ghost elaborated on his findings from yesterday. In turn, Littlefoot and his friends were eager to share what they had discussed this morning over at Friendship's Circle in the hopes that more of the underlying mystery could be revealed. The Black Ghost rubbed his chin in careful thought the more he heard.

"Hmm… that does sound slightly suspicious. Keltech using old technology from a previous human invasion to this realm," he said slowly.

"Yeah, and all the stuff to do with the Red Phoenix and the Stones of Essence. What do you think they could be after?" Littlefoot asked.

"I don't know. But I certainly hope it isn't the same thing as what the Red Phoenix Corporation were hoping to achieve. Their foolish actions nearly brought about the eradication of life as we know it," the Black Ghost replied.

"How do you know about what the Red Phoenix Corporation did? You weren't in league with them or something were you?" Kairyn said snidely.

"Reports, chronicles and other shreds of information tell of what the Red Phoenix did and the research they performed back then. Obviously, details are lost over time and with a three hundred year time difference between them and Keltech, it's little wonder they hardly knew anything about what happened when the Red Phoenix Corporation tried to use the Stones of Essence for their own personal gain. It is not uncommon for one man to follow in the footsteps of a previous discovery of another. As far as they are concerned, they were just taking a blind stare into a blank period of human history. They didn't have any idea of the atrocity that that company brought upon the world; and I seriously doubt they do even now."

"And how is it that you are so knowledgeable on the subject Mr Black Ghost?" Melissa asked curiously. "You appear to know an awful lot more about this than anyone. About the Red Phoenix's technology, what they did, and how they used these stones." Kairyn couldn't help but notice that the Black Ghost jerked rather suddenly at her question. It was as if she'd picked up on something and he was not expecting to be quizzed on it.

The Black Ghost was silent for a while which gave everyone ample time to edge closer; awaiting his response. When he finally did speak, the group were very surprised at how open he was about it. Given how secretive the Black Ghost normally was, he told them exactly what they wanted to know. He told them all about the research he had done regarding the Stones of Essence, their origin and how he had been searching for them. They were spellbound by his tale that seemed almost otherworldly as they sat hooked on every word.

"So, lemme get this straight." Kairyn then said after a good few minutes of storytelling. "You're from a world that exists somewhere between our time in 327NE and the events after Littlefoot and his friends defeated the Red Phoenix?" He massaged his forehead with his fingertips trying to wrap his mind around the idea.

"Yes. Although, I'm not sure when exactly because in my world, the concepts of time are lost."

"What do you mean by that?" Melissa asked.

"It's difficult to pin a date when one day blends into the next with no one to keep a record of it. You see, my world has been destroyed as a result of what Littlefoot and his friends accomplished when they defeated the Red Phoenix and the monster of the same name that the corporation created."

"What?!" all of the dinosaur children gasped taken aback.

"Your world's been destroyed… because of what we did?!" Littlefoot stammered hardly able to breathe. The Black Ghost nodded slowly.

"It is also how, in my world, we know of the Stones of Essence and the legend behind them. It was the stones and their holders that brought about the destruction… one simple act that changed and warped reality into a hell on earth." Littlefoot and his friends couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"B-but… I-I… I don't understand!" the young longneck continued to trip over his words. "We beat the Red Phoenix to save everyone! How did we end up destroying your world?!"

"Does the phrase '_righting the final wrong_' mean anything to you?" the Black Ghost then said to him. Littlefoot looked up at the hooded man both amazed and frightened.

"Y-yes. It is what Jason and I realised we had to do to make things right again after all that had happened. He had to go back to where he was from so that everything would go back to normal."

"Of course; a truly noble task. And what was it you both did before he returned to where he came from?" the Black Ghost said very carefully. All eyes turned to Littlefoot as he stopped to remember the morning that Jason left the Great Valley.

"N-no… we didn't do anything bad. Jason just gave me his red stone and I gave him my blue one so we'd remember each other. Then he went back, that's all." Littlefoot said innocently desperately searching within the Black Ghost's voided hood for some assurance that he wasn't responsible for his world's destruction. That's when the Black Ghost nodded his head very slowly. Littlefoot suddenly found that he could not breathe.

"N…no… Us swapping our stones… that caused your world to…"

"As unintentional and innocent as the gesture seemed at that moment, it was because you swapped your rightful stones, that caused a great disturbance in the fabric of reality. The holders of the stones crossed time's flow with the wrong essences in hand and it changed everything."

Littlefoot suddenly felt very sick. The whole forest enclosure flipped and spun before him making him incredibly dizzy. He dropped his horrified gaze down to the ground unable to look at the Black Ghost as a fiery, turbulent mix of guilt and disgust churned in the pit of his stomach. A simple gesture of friendship had caused the downfall of an entire world he didn't even know existed.

"Hang on just a minute! You can't just blame Littlefoot for the sorry state your home is in!" Kairyn stormed shoving the Black Ghost away from the distraught longneck. "What proof do you have? You didn't even know Littlefoot before you almost tried to kill him back in London! How would you know anything!"

"Because… Jason told me," the Black Ghost then said very deliberately.

In that moment, every thought and emotion that had been screaming in Littlefoot's head was instantly silenced. A cold shiver crawled through him and chilled every bone in his body. The icy creeping fastened its stinging grip around Littlefoot's heart, stealing a beat. He could now feel it thumping inside him as he slowly raised his head to glare back into the Black Ghost's empty hood.

"…What… did you just say…?" Littlefoot asked slowly, barely whispering.

"I said, Jason told me… about what happened; about everything. That's how I know about you and everything you and your friends did." Littlefoot legs felt as weak and flimsy as the blades of grass blowing in the wind around him as he strained to listen.

"You… know Jason?" Petrie asked as they all leaned even closer and the hooded figure nodded.

"He came to my world after departing yours…" he started but Kairyn cut in.

"He's lying! He can't possibly know your friend! All he knows is his name and that's not good enough! He's just saying that to manipulate you, don't listen!" he shouted angrily. Kairyn hated watching the pained expression etched into every one of his dinosaur friends' faces as they stood barely two feet away and entranced by every word he spoke.

"He came to my world, as did his companions, Jill Fielding and Daniel Stone of the Red Phoenix's private military corps. Even the sergeant's dog, Zephyr was there. It was never their intention but it happened all the same," the Black Ghost continued, making the gang all gasp in bewilderment.

"He does know about them! About all of them! Yep, yep, yep!" Ducky breathed in shock. Kairyn felt lost. It was like the Black Ghost had a hypnotic spell over all of them just by uttering a few names. He turned to Melissa to do something but she simply shook her head. With nothing to come back with, Kairyn fell into a seat on the grass next to Melissa as Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike all inched forward eager to hear more.

Kairyn couldn't help but feel hurt that the Black Ghost had stolen all the gang's attention away. As they fired question after question about their human friends' well-being, that pang of hurt burned into a knot of jealousy that stuck fast in his gut and refused to dissipate as he sat slumped under a tree. Even Melissa seemed to be ignoring him as she was intrigued by the conversation and was listening in.

"So where are they now? Are they still in your world?" Cera asked excitedly.

"That I do not know. As I said, my world is in complete chaos because of what occurred. By taking Littlefoot's stone through the Doorway, removing it from its rightful holder and leaving his in the process, Jason accidently cause some sort of flux which brought about a ravaged future. A world where humans were still on the brink of extinction. Only this time, we were not pursued by the undead creatures created by the Red Phoenix that Jason, Jill and Daniel described from their time. We were in danger of being wiped out by something far more powerful and far more dangerous. The Corruption's Curse."

"And… what that?" Petrie asked nervously.

"The Corruption's Curse is what plagued my world. It created monsters of immense power that quickly consumed anyone who fell victim to it. The groups of humans surviving in this hell soon disappeared until there was only a handful of us left. I remember Sergeant Stone having to kill Zephyr with his own hands when his faithful companion fell under the curse. It was crushing.

But we underestimated the beasts that the curse created. We thought they were mindless killing machines but some of them were… intelligent, organised. I helped your friends fight the monsters but soon even we were overrun. We were captured and taken to a stronghold of some sort where they were forcefully infecting both the living and the dead with the curse. I remember hearing the screams of those having the curse jabbed directly into their bodies. I managed to escape but I never found Jason, Jill or Daniel once we were taken captive. I don't know what happened to them."

"So, how did you end up in our time?" Melissa then asked from behind the gathered crowd.

"I don't like to put things down to sheer luck but I can't deny that that is what happened. A doorway like the one that brought us here opened up before me. I didn't know where it had come from but I was being chased at the time so I jumped in without a thought. Ever since then, I've been looking for a way to reverse what happened. To prevent that evil curse from ever being created. To do that, I had to reclaim the Stones of Essence and undo the mistake that Jason made. To truly right the final wrong. But, things haven't exactly been going as well as I'd hoped."

"Why? What happened?" Cera asked.

"I didn't realise it at first but I quickly found out that I was followed when I made the jump to the New Era years, a reality somehow different from my own. One of the more sophisticated monsters was tailing me. Somehow, he had managed to bond with the curse and retained his mind, as twisted as it is. A savage creature who's been hunting me ever since I escaped that torturous hell pit."

"And who's that?" Melissa asked. The question seemed to silence the cloaked man for a few tense seconds before he breathed a name in a hiss of malice.

"…Zeiger…"

Meanwhile, at the Keltech base just outside the Great Valley, the very monster that the Black Ghost had begrudgingly mentioned was still in a rather tense meeting with the corporation's heads. Director Thorne was sat at the top end of the long and lavish silver table, his legs crossed and rocking in the steely frame of the chrome chair, deep in thought. Professor Clements, looking haggard and pasty-faced with nervousness, was sat in the next chair down to Thorne's right. Schneider, half sitting and half on his toes ready to spring into action at a mere whistle of the wind, was in the next to the professor. His shooting hand laying restlessly on his right thigh close to his gun holster. Directly opposite him, across the table, was Zeiger who sat with a ceaseless grin on his face. A claw-tipped finger resting gingerly against his cheek as he watched the director milling over his thoughts. His glowing, yellow eyes then rolled down to the back of Tyronne's head who was ducked, on his knees, just in front of him; his sword balanced on its tip, planted between his seat and the curve of Tyronne's spine. The entire boardroom was engulfed in such an unbearable silence that even the flashing of gazes could have shattered the tension.

"I see…" Director Thorne said finally. "So what you are saying is that our current experimentations with the dark matter are not going to produce the energy output we are aiming for?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. For superior intellects, you guys sure are slow," Zeiger snickered. Schneider fidgeted in his seat but quickly composed himself.

"I disagree. All our work so far has done wonders in bringing out the potential of this previously undiscovered element," Thorne countered but Zeiger dipped his head and sniggered.

"That's because you fools don't know what you are doing with it. As I said before, there are many applications for this 'dark matter' as you call it. All your tinkering so far hasn't even scratched the surface of what it can do. I'm surprised you even got it to bring you here on this fool's errand to chase down the Stones."

Professor Clements let slip an unintentional babble of shock but Zeiger didn't seem fazed.

"Please, I already know about your misguided efforts to acquire the Stones of Essence. You are looking for the four stones in a bid to gain mastery of them for your little pet projects."

Professor Clements was about to say something but Director Thorne got in before him.

"So you have some knowledge on our works. You seem to have us at a disadvantage," the director said coolly. "But what I don't understand is, if you are as gifted as you claim to be, why is it that you went through the trouble of almost uprooting our entire operation just to grant us some insight into dark matter and the Stones. How does any of your rip-roaring activities benefit you?"

Zeiger lent back in his chair to peer at Thorne down the length of his nose. "I am looking for my lost compatriot, the Black Ghost as you all seem to call him; you are looking for the Stones of Essence. I have knowledge on how to fast track your projects with the dark matter; you have the manpower and resources necessary to conduct a full search for my missing person. You follow?"

"And vot vould you do vit zees… creature vonce you have him?" Schneider barked trying his best to sound diplomatic but his gruff voice only belayed the attempt.

"I'm sure a man of your… qualities can appreciate confidentiality of business," Zeiger slurred. He enjoyed unsettling the giant of a man who seemed to bite at every quip he threw his way like a wild dog murderous for raw flesh.

"Out of zee question! You expect us to lend out our personnel, MY SOLDIERS, for und kindergarten game of hide und seek? You can go to hell!" Schneider erupted.

"Despite the vocabulary, I'm afraid I concur with the colonel. I fail to see how any of this will benefit us. What could you possibly tell us that would see our working quantities improve so drastically that would, in turn, allow us to permit you the use of our troops?" Director Thorne said matter-of-factly.

At that moment, Zeiger stood up and towered over Tyronne who was still at his feet. Seeing the shadow fall over him, Tyronne looked back over his shoulder to find the palm of Zeiger's hand directly in line with his face. He flinched as a dark swirl materialised in the centre of Zeiger's palm and then shot out at him. Tyronne wailed as the purple-black smoke wrapped around him and seemed to bind itself to him. Schneider, taking his chance, leapt up to standing, drew his gun and aimed to fire. Already a step ahead, Zeiger yanked Tyronne up from the floor by the scruff of his neck just as Schneider pulled the trigger. Tyronne yelped in panic as the muzzle flare cracked a blinding spark at his eye level. He knew Schneider would not miss and he was being used as a human shield. A fatal combination.

Tyronne, cringing at the thought of being executed by his own superior officer, slowly unfurled from his hunched ball. He looked around at Schneider, whose gun was still in his thick fingers but the muzzle was dangling somewhere underneath the table. The expression on the colonel's face was one of horrified awe. The bullet was a perfect killing headshot; there was no way Tyronne could have survived yet there he was, standing up and still breathing. He glanced down at his hands and saw an eerie purple glow pulsing all over him. The light was all over his body, encasing him.

"I don't believe it," Professor Clements gawked reappearing having dived under the table when the shot was fired. "A fully functioning repulsive shield. One that completely covers the entire body."

"I understand this is one of the technologies you were attempting to develop wasn't it? A full repulsive barrier that repels any enemy projectiles? That, alongside your weapons program to produce the first fully operational weapons grade plasma rifle complete with regenerative ammo stock, right? I can give you a demonstration of what that'll do to a target if you like. You game big guy?" Zeiger said slyly eyeing Schneider sideways.

"We've been working tirelessly for years to try and perfect that kind of battle technology. You must show us how to achieve it," the professor said practically begging.

"Hmm… I dunno. I think it's your boss's call. Whaddya say Mr Director? Do we have an accord?" Zeiger said turning to Thorne who was just straightening his jacket.

"Let's see if we can't come to some sort of arrangement shall we?" he then said.

Zeiger smiled, unafraid to flash his demonic fangs as he did, "I knew that we could do business one way or another."

Meanwhile, back in the Great Valley, the Black Ghost had just finished a horrifying tale detailing the destruction and roaming monsters that plagued his world. He spoke of terrifying creatures warped in shape and nature by the Corruption's Curse and about the cruel and merciless Zeiger and his hatred for all humankind. Everyone was dumbstruck by his story, even Kairyn couldn't help but be drawn into it. As the Black Ghost went on, every so often, Kairyn saw a mental flash of something jump before his mind's eye. A dream he had had before coming to the dinosaur world. He could remember three people running for their lives, being chased by a hulking beast before being swallowed alive by an devastating earthquake. The more the Black Ghost spoke, the more vivid the memory was.

"And this was all in a sleep story you had?" Littlefoot asked Kairyn hurryingly as they walked through the woodlands to head back to the open fields. The group had since broken up and gone their separate ways to check in with their families. The Black Ghost had performed his usual disappearing act, claiming he was going to investigate some things further while Melissa headed off with Spike and Ducky.

"Yeah. I definitely remember there being three humans on the run in some sort of post-apocalyptic dump of a city," Kairyn said slowly, trying hard to replay the dream over again but without the Black Ghost there, he found it hard.

"Do you think it could have been our friends?" Littlefoot asked somewhat hopefully.

"I can't deny that it's not a wonderful coincidence but I can't say for sure because I don't remember any names. Heck, I didn't even think they could be real until you guys spoke about them. I just thought it was a whacked out dream."

"So… do you believe what the Black Ghost said?" Littlefoot then asked cautiously. Kairyn didn't answer right away.

"…I dunno what to believe at the moment. This is all happening a bit fast. I'm still trying to get my head around this whole Corruption's Curse thing and these Shadow Spawn creatures. I just hope none of that crazy stuff goes on here."

"Me too…" Littlefoot agreed gravely, a creeping chill running through him again.

At this particular point of the afternoon, Littlefoot knew exactly where to find his grandparents who were resting under the shade of a large tree. Greeted by their warm smiles, Littlefoot gave a minimal report on their day, leaving out any specific details about their discussions of the morning. They then both took shelter under a tree of their own a little way away from the elderly couple. As they settled in the cool grass, it was then that an uncomfortable feeling wormed its way into their guts. None of the other denizens of the Great Valley had even the slightest clue of what was going on and if anything were to happen, they would be completely unprepared. Littlefoot and Kairyn both looked up and over at Grandma and Grandpa Longneck as they sat talking to each other. Grandma Longneck gave a light-hearted laugh at something Grandpa has just said to her and he chortled too.

"You know, I'm kinda starting to get a little worried. Grandma and Grandpa don't know anything about this and they are the grown-ups. They're supposed to be the ones looking out for us but we are the ones who know everything," Littlefoot then said as he continued to watch his grandparents conversing.

"Well, you wanna fill them in on what we've been talking about? About us being attacked last night?" Kairyn offered. Littlefoot sighed and dropped his gaze. He knew that if he did tell them, it would only cause valley-wide panic and it would only be harder for them to do anything about it if the adults were on full alert. They'd be under strict curfew and their movements would be severely limited. Not only that, he knew that some of the dinosaurs were just itching for an excuse to run the humans out of the Great Valley and he didn't want that at all.

"I… don't want them to worry about me. But, I guess, if we really do need their help and the Great Valley is in danger, we can always go to them then," Littlefoot said trying to console himself but it didn't offer any solace.

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that eh?" Kairyn said trying to find Littlefoot's eyes. Catching his gaze, Littlefoot smiled and nodded.

Before they had realised it, the sun had starting to shrink behind the burly shoulders of the surrounding mountains granting the great rocky giants a burning orange halo as it disappeared from the sky. A gentle buzz of insects creaked harmoniously as Kairyn, Littlefoot and his grandparents began making their way towards home. It wasn't until they reached the nesting place that those creeping thoughts of the day's events and discussions started to play on their minds again. Even with a loving wish for a peaceful night's sleep from Grandma and Grandpa Longneck, Littlefoot and Kairyn found it difficult to switch off. Their nerves were frayed at the idea that another Shadow Spawn attack could occur at any moment whilst they were asleep. It took them a while but eventually tiredness got the better of them and they reluctantly drifted off into an edgy slumber.

Across the Valley, over by a gently flowing stream, Ducky and Spike's family were all tucked up together and sound asleep. Ducky and Spike were nestled slightly away from the group with Melissa backed up and leaning against Spike's stomach, rising and falling with every stuffy, snorting breath the spiketail made as he slept. Suddenly, Melissa's eyes snapped open and she stood bolt upright. Her face was expressionless and her eyes were glaring as if entranced. Then, she began walking. She headed away from the stream and into the trees where she disappeared from sight. As the bushes around the tree trunks rustled, Ducky began to stir. Still bleary-eyed, Ducky gave a quick glance around before settling back down to sleep again.

The next morning, after a very restless night, Littlefoot and Kairyn found a rather distraught Spike come barrelling into their clearing. Catching onto Spike's hysterical babbling, Littlefoot quickly realised that something was wrong and they both dashed after the spiketail as he headed for the stream. When they got there, they saw that Ducky was sat on the grass hugging her knees and looking lost.

"Ducky? What happened? Is everything okay?" Littlefoot said anxiously.

"Hey, where's Melissa?" Kairyn asked just as quickly.

"I do not know. She is gone again," Ducky replied sheepishly. Kairyn felt a rush of panic strike him with full force.

"Oh no! What if she's collapsed somewhere again?" he flapped.

"Do you know where she went Ducky?" Littlefoot asked but she shook her head sorrowfully.

"We have to find her! If she's fallen ill again…" Kairyn said still flailing.

"It's okay Kairyn, calm down; we'll find her. Let's get Petrie and Cera and we'll start searching," Littlefoot suggested. Kairyn took a deep breath and nodded. With that, the four of them headed off, splashing through the quiet stream to rally up the rest of the gang.

The group all hunted for the missing girl. They combed every area they could think of that Melissa might have gone to but each spot was deserted. Having broken up into individual search parties, they reconvened in one of the meadows after a time.

"Couldn't find her in the spot we were in yesterday," Cera said.

"She is not at Friendship's Circle, nope, nope, nope," Ducky reported riding in on Spike.

"Me no see her from sky," Petrie cawed swooping in from above.

"I checked the Thundering Falls and down by the Fast Water but she's not there either," Littlefoot said slightly breathless from running.

"Oh man. Where could she have gone? Why the hell would she just disappear like that without telling anyone?" Kairyn said floundering.

"What about up in mountains? We find her there last time she go missing," Petrie suggested.

"You could be right Petrie. Let's check up by the Great Wall," Littlefoot said already leading the way and the gang followed without objection.

It was a fair trek to get up to the Great Wall but with the looming fear that Melissa could be in trouble, they all pushed on without a break. By the time they'd got up to the Great Wall, they were panting and exhausted for marching at such a brisk pace, but, to their dismay, the dusty open clearing was completely barren.

"She's not here either, damn it!" Kairyn cursed kicking a stone angrily.

"There were no tracks this time. Maybe she did not come up here after all," Ducky said.

"So we just wasted our time stomping all the way up here? Ugh… great," Cera huffed. The soles of her feet were hot and stinging from the heat of the baked earth.

"We had to check; this was where we found her last time," Littlefoot said trying to keep spirits up. Kairyn was about to speak when a strange buzzing erupted in his right ear. Flinching at first, he then dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out the radio his brother had given him. The display was flashing the numbers "140.85" as it rang in his ear. The group all crowded around him as he clicked a button on the transmitter and raised his right index finger to his right ear.

"H-h… hello?" Kairyn stammered. His brother's voice echoed through a brief fizz of static.

"Kai, it's Tyronne. Where are you?"

"I'm err… up near the mountains by that silver doorway machine, why?"

"You need to come here. Colonel Schneider has ordered you to come to the base to file your next video log."

"What? Right now? I'm kinda in the middle of something," Kairyn protested.

"Then drop it. Hurry up and get your arse here now or the colonel's gonna be pissed if he finds out you're not doing your job. Just get the vlog done and then you can get back to whatever it is you are doing."

"Okay fine. I'm coming," Kairyn huffed before clicking the radio off and putting it back into his pocket. "I gotta go guys. I've gotta go tell the Keltech base what I've been doing all yesterday."

"You gonna tell them about what happen to you and Littlefoot the other night?" Petrie asked.

"No. We don't need Keltech snooping around the Great Valley thinking there are monsters running around the place. They'd only cause more trouble for everyone. I'll just tell them everything's fine then we can get back to looking for Melissa."

"Can we not come with you?" Ducky asked sweetly.

"Trust me, it's better you didn't. God only knows what they'll do if they find a group of talking dinosaur kids wandering around. You'll probably all end up as lab rats," Kairyn said half joking. With a quick wave, Kairyn trotted down the path leading away from the Great Valley leaving the gang of five dinosaur friends standing in the whipping dust.

Arriving at the base, Kairyn quickly made his way to the communications room to find his brother. As he quick-marched down the halls, he couldn't help but notice the flakes of rubble dusting the floor. Also, large numbers of crates and boxes that were piled up in the hallway appeared disturbed and toppled like someone had barged through them and knocked them over. He was even more alarmed to see that one corridor's wall was crumbling and riddled with bullet holes. Kairyn dropped his gaze when he saw a number of Keltech employees glaring at him as he walked through. As he made his way into the military quarters of the base, he saw Tyronne at a console in the operations room and went over to meet him.

"Took your time," Tyronne said as they both began marching down the hall to the same reporting room as last time.

"Yeah sorry," Kairyn said anxiously. He couldn't help but feel uncomfortable within the confines of the base. The claustrophobia of being contained within the grey and drab concrete walls felt suffocating compared to the wide and free outdoors of the Great Valley. It made him even more edgy seeing all the disorganisation and gaping chunks torn out of the walls. It was then, as he looked up at his brother's face, that he noticed how haggard he appeared.

"You okay Ty? You look kinda drained," Kairyn asked. He let out a tiny gasp when he saw how bloodshot his eyes were when Tyronne turned to face him.

"Yeah, had a bit of a rough night. Didn't sleep too well," Tyronne said rubbing his face briskly.

"Not got anything to do with those bullet holes in the wall back there has it?" Kairyn asked warily. Tyronne didn't respond right away.

"That had… something to do with it…" Tyronne said choosing his words carefully.

"Seems like a bit of a stupid place for target practice. You weren't… attacked were you?" Kairyn pressed but Tyronne seemed reluctant to answer him. That's when Kairyn noticed a bandage stuck to the side of Tyronne's neck.

"What's with the plaster on your neck? You're hurt! You were attacked weren't you!" Kairyn gasped. Tyronne hushed his little brother before bundling him into the reporting room.

"Tyronne, come on tell me. What happened to you?" Kairyn said as he fought to keep his balance as his brother dragged him into the deserted room.

"Look, there are certain things I can't speak about right now. Not here anyway," Tyronne said to him in a hurried whisper. "There have been some things going on but I'll be strung up if they found out I was blabbing about it openly. Look Kai… when the time is right, I'll tell you but right now I can't."

Kairyn could see, from the look in his brother's tired and veiny eyes as he stared into them, that he was troubled. However, he knew that there would be serious consequences if he were to divulge any information. Kairyn sighed, unconvinced by his words but accepting of his brother's plight. His collarbone itched again and he scratched at it. Tyronne nodded before tapping Kairyn on the shoulder and gesturing to the camera and console. With another heavy sigh, Kairyn stood up and shuffled his way over to the seat to give his report.

Meanwhile, down in the research laboratories of the base, Director Thorne and Professor Clements were busy working, looking over some samples of dark matter that were floating around in giant metal cylinders.

"Looks like the creature delivered. The dark matter seems to be of a greater concentration and is producing a much more malleable product for us to use to strengthen the serums for our shielding technology," Professor Clements said as he eyed the results on the computer screen beside the cylinder. "It's not perfect but it will definitely prove useful."

"Well, at least he was good enough for that. I still don't fully trust Zeiger to uphold his end of the deal completely. You can see how he looks down on us as lower lifeforms but that will be his own downfall in the end," Thorne said slickly from over the professor's shoulder.

"Are we really going to spend our valuable resources and manpower on some fruitless manhunt? We don't even know if this 'Black Ghost' character even exists. He could be making the whole damn thing up," Clements muttered irritably.

"No. Both of Stephen's sons have mentioned the Black Ghost and the audio logs from Kairyn's conversations within his dinosaur friends suggest that there is someone using that alias somewhere in that valley. Either way, I see no harm in playing along for now. Besides, if what Zeiger said is true and the Black Ghost can indeed track down the other Stones of Essence, then we'll need to get hold of him just as much as Zeiger does. We can make him work for us before we turf him over to that freak of nature. He seems to know quite a bit about the Red Phoenix corporation's exploits. He might even be able to inform us on how use the stones."

"Well, we have the ruby and Stephen's kid is walking around with the yellow one. We just need to figure out how to get the last two then we can put them to work in the Phoenix project. That is on the premise that the vessel doesn't reject the stones' energy," Clements said flatly. Director Thorne stood upright and cupped his fingers around his chin.

"You are still unsure of the methods? Hmm… we still have too many loose threads to pull this all together but at least there has been some progress. From Kairyn's audio recordings from his implanted tracer, the Black Ghost is frequenting them and is drip-feeding them information regarding the stones. We now know that Littlefoot cannot control the red stone because it is not his. If we can cross reference these findings with what our scout is picking up and the data from the kid's Minicom, we may very well be able to find the last two stones and fast track the Phoenix project to its final stages," Thorne said carefully. "How much longer before the girl is ready to be redeployed?"

Professor Clements tapped at the holographic keyboard at the work surface and pulled up some diagnostic data on screen.

"She's almost done but it was a close call. Had she not left when she did to get back here, we'd probably have had to send a collection team out for her. The shielding has almost completely worn off. If she were to come into contact with any more dark matter it would cause a critical system failure and we'd lose her. It's imperative that she remain in peak condition if she's going to stand a chance of surviving this. From what I know about Stephen's research on this, this could very well end up in another failure."

Director Thorne offered a sly smile.

"Good. We'll have her meet up with the boy again so he can continue thinking he's on this escort and reconnaissance mission. In the meantime, I need to talk to the colonel. We need to organise a strategy to capture this Black Ghost guy."

Just then, a warning message popped up on Clements' screen. Tapping away at the keyboard, he then let out a wail.

"What is it?" Thorne barked, unamused by the old man's squeals.

"Someone's in my lab!" he screeched.

"Probably just Schneider looking for us," Thorne said dismissively as he turned to the door to exit the lab.

"No, it's not Schneider! It's that damn kid! Stephen's boy is in there!"

Kairyn couldn't believe what he was seeing. Having finished his report, he had wandered through the halls in an attempt to try and uncover anything about what had attacked the base and, more importantly, his brother. He initially thought that the Black Ghost was behind the assault which would have meant he had lied about not entering the base having found it. Despite that, nothing could have prepared him for what he had witnessed by entering this lab. There, floating in a thick glass tube full of a colourless liquid he could only presume was water, was a young blonde haired girl no older than he was with a breathing mask fitted around her nose and mouth. She was instantly recognisable.

"No… no way…" Kairyn breathed in shock. "Melissa?!" He rested a hand gingerly on the glass too dumbstruck to do anything but stare at her. "Why are you here Melissa? How did you…"

He was cut short by a bleeping of the console behind him. Kairyn whirled around and looked at the messages that suddenly popped up. He was firstly surprised that the console was active but as he read what was on screen, he came more and more confused.

"Project Phoenix? Ready for data storage transfer…" Kairyn's brain then sparked. Quickly, he dipped his hand into his pocket, pulled out his Minicom and placed it on the data transfer hub sat next to the screen. He then activated the console and a download progress bar popped up on screen. Kairyn held his breath as the percentage numbers spun up incrementally at blinding speed. The bar on screen then flashed green as the data transfer was completed. Kairyn snatched his Minicom off the hub and hit the escape key on the keyboard just as a voice screeched at him from the doorway.

"What are you doing in my lab?!" the voice shrilled.


End file.
